


Qrow's Flock

by Nari8tor



Category: RWBY
Genre: Adventure, Coming of Age, Gen, Goes on to Volume 4, MontyOumProject, Multi, Other, Qrow is Ruby's father theory, Qrow's alcoholism, Qrow's semblance, Ruby and Yang's childhood, Salem's lair, Silver eyed warriors, Volume 3 Spoilers, What happened to Summer, Winter and Qrow's past, more serious as it goes on, why Raven left
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2018-09-13 09:13:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 34
Words: 76,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9116881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nari8tor/pseuds/Nari8tor
Summary: This is the story of Qrow Branwen. A child of bandits, a student, a brother, a friend, a lover, a fighter, and at the end of the day a man trying to save his world - his family.





	1. Tribal Warfare

**Author's Note:**

> This is not 50 shades of Qrow, I might write that later but this is not it. No lemon.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How did Qrow and Raven end up at Beacon?

In the world of Remnant, a land haunted by the creatures of Grimm, there is one thing for certain. There is safety in numbers, but only if you trust those numbers. That was the way we grew up, my sister and I. We were the children of our tribe’s Chieftain, the Branwen twins. Raven and Qrow. We were born together and for the first few years of our lives we did everything together. 

Our play was that of warriors, because our family was made of soldiers. Soon swords made of sticks became metal. At twelve years old, our father told us to come with him on a raid. 

I was a little scrap of a thing, admittedly shorter than my sister, but not shorter in range on the battlefield. We were flashes of shadow, the black spots that soared across the sky, a murder of crows, descending on the land. We had done all we could to help the family. Raven was alight with the fire of battle, I was trailing behind when we happened upon an old man wandering past a farm. He was hoary haired, dressed all in green and walked with a cane. We thought he was an easy target, how wrong we were.

Father told us to make short work of him. Always the first one to jump the gun, Raven went after him first, all her might on display. Her red blade slashed against him with the fury of a thousand years of perfection behind our ancient ways, but the old fellow matched her stroke for stroke. Raven’s long hair soon became drenched with sweat and she was showing clear signs of fatigue but the old man looked as if he would rather have been drinking tea.  
It was a disgrace for a Branwen to show such inelegance, such struggle in the fight. Though I had not yet mastered my own weapon, it was me that my father pushed into the fray next.  
When the old man knocked Raven back, I charged. As my blade slashed downward, I almost caught a glimpse of surprise in the old man’s eyes, but he parried me as if I were nothing. I launched a second attack, and this time the old man dodged, but he was not prepared for the Branwen twins to fight together.  
The two of us gave him hell, but in the end he wore out our fire, at the cost of my blade. It struck just below his hand when the old steel made its last slash, the closest either of us came to wounding the stranger, and the blade shattered into fragments. I leapt back in retreat but my battle was not done yet. As we had been raiding a farm there was a discarded scythe on the ground, though not equipped for battle, it was something and I was desperate. I made several unsuccessful swipes at him, but he beat me back every time, he was clearly toying with us. In the end,both Raven and I fell on the ground before him.  
When the whole tribe emerged and surrounded us, only then did I see a hint of seriousness from him. He tapped his cane against the ground and the energy from his bright green aura surrounded everyone.  


“You must all be very excellent warriors for even your children to fight with such vigor.” He adjusted his glasses as he spoke, deep green eyes staring into me, as Raven and I knelt before him I felt as if he could read my thoughts, if I had hackles they would have raised. 

“You haven’t seen anything from the Branwen tribe yet,” Our father stepped forward, death in his eyes, I knew the stranger wasn’t going to last very long against his might, but he still looked unconcerned.

“I’m sure of it. That’s why I would hate to have to kill you all.” He grinned.

Father and the rest of the clan roiled with anger, but the strange man’s green aura only bloomed stronger, as if he held them back with the might of his very soul. 

“I propose an alternative course of action.” He tapped his cane in front of us to get our attention, “My name is Professor Ozpin, I run a combat school in Vale called Beacon Academy. If you two would like to learn to fight as I do, when you are of age I will gladly have you both as students.” 

“You would teach our children your ways? At what cost to the Branwen tribe?” Father asked him.

“I would make them even stronger than they are now, but I assure you, what they learned would be a reflection of who they are, I would not want to take away from your tribe. I only hope to offer guidance to whom may be its strongest leaders.” Ozpin said.

“I want to learn.” Raven struggled to her feet, “I want you to teach me everything. Then I want to kill you.”

“Raven-” I tugged on her arm.

“I encourage you to strive to your fullest potential, but be warned, little bandit, it would take a lot of potential to kill me.”

I wobbled beside her and Ozpin glanced between us, then back at our father and family gathered around us. His aura retreated within himself, “I will be back in five years.” 

 

Then with that, Ozpin was gone.

 

Five years until we would be sent off to a strange land and a strange school.

 

I glanced at the fragments of my weapon and the scythe in my hand. Five years to make my weapon, and myself stronger.


	2. Landing Strategy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ozpin has always had an unusual method of initiation. . .

“Are you ready?” Those were the next three words we would hear from Ozpin’s mouth. He just appeared one late summer’s night, under the trees near the edge of the tribe’s hideout. I was actually just returning from relieving myself in those very trees and admittedly very unready.

“I’m ready,” I lied as I tried not to look like I was still tightening my belt. His eyes saw right through me. I knew it.

“You have the same fire as your sister, but yours is a controlled burn.” Ozpin’s cane clacked against the stone of the pathway as he walked to stand beside me. 

“I think she still wants to kill you.” I said.

“I would be surprised if she didn’t. Do you?”

“I’m not sure yet.” My hand lingered over the hilt of my weapon, I’d hate to lose this one, I’d spent a solid year making it my very best, and it was a beauty, but I was not the same child he had fought years ago.

Ozpin hummed, “I appreciate the honesty, shall we go greet the rest of your family?”

The Branwen bandits are some of the most powerful of their kind to ever haunt the hills of Mistral, and like all the best bandits no one ever lived to sing songs of their ferocious power and might. If the bards had, though, what epics they would spin about our tribe, as monstrous as the Grimm themselves. 

As expected, these Grimm made flesh did not take kindly to the old man just strolling into the heart of their tribe as if he had the address saved in his scroll. When all the shouting and failed attempts at assassinating Ozpin were over, we sat down to dinner, which was one of --though not the most--awkward meals I ever had, though definitely the most uncomfortable experience of my life up until that point. Ozpin sat between Raven and I and though he asked us both questions, only I gave answers. I felt as though my father wanted to slap me with every word I spoke. 

When Raven and I shrugged our bags onto our shoulders and started to follow Ozpin down the road, our father called me back to him one last time. 

“Remember who you are, Qrow, do not betray this family.” He towered over me.

“Father I would ne-”

“You would never intend, yes, but you might. As of today you are not to speak of us to anyone, not even your sister. I would hate for anything to happen to you, Qrow, and I would hate even more to have to be the one to do it.”

 

The Branwen darkness knows no bounds. 

The bleakness of our tribe was soon left behind though as Raven and I boarded an airship bound for Vale, Beacon and a brighter day.  
It was not long into our journey before Raven and I were completely culture shocked. We had never seen so many people together, or so many colors. Outside the kingdoms the world is desaturated, it's too afraid to shine, but in Vale it is overwhelming. To Raven it was sickening, to me it was fascinating, everything was moving so fast until an appearance from Ozpin slowed the world to a crawl.

“The land of Vale does have a lot to behold,” Ozpin snuck up on us, “As does it’s people.”

He caught us looking down through the port windows of the ship at the passing kingdom below. 

“I can’t wait to conquer it,” Raven said it with complete seriousness, but Ozpin laughed much to her indignation.

“I would recommend against such open hostility, while you still have a long way to go.” Just as soon as he came, Ozpin left and in his absence the world spun into a whirlwind once more. We landed, we heard him speak, we slept a night on a crowded floor surrounded by hundreds of strangers all our age and all a myriad of color and kind. We were our own little void, back to back, dots of gray and black. 

 

Then we were perched above a cliff with a selection of other students and launched into the air. There were so many screams as the other students plummeted to the earth below but as they fell away everything fell into place for Raven and I. We shifted form in a heartbeat, our wings suddenly beating against the sky, no longer falling but gliding freely until the skies grew shadowed. 

A Nevermore, and it knew we weren’t ordinary birds. 

Raven and I didn’t even have to look at one another. We began evasive maneuvers, I dove into the trees, but a great screech rang out behind me. Fear wracked through my being, I was no more than a bite for a Nevermore as I was. I shifted back as I neared the ground, my hand grasping for my weapon, the monster bearing down on me.

I rolled and turned to defend myself just as the Nevermore vanished into dust before my eyes. In its place stood a young woman in a white cape, a long opal colored spear protruding from the ground. When she looked up at me her silver eyes nearly stopped my heart. I was afraid and enthralled all at once. And as Ozpin had said the first person we made eye contact with we were stuck with, I was now partners with her for the next three years. That certainly wasn’t part of the plan.

“Thank you,” I said as I lowered my weapon. 

There was a strange glint to her silver eyes that for a moment I wasn’t sure if she was another student or if she was some unknown creature entirely. Then she drew back her spear and lowered her hood, “My name is Summer, nice to meet you.”

She had a smile that could capture the world, kind of like someone else I know. She stepped towards me but I stayed back, “My name’s Qrow.”

An awkward silence descended between us, but the Emerald Forest is one that is rarely silent for long. A thunderous roar echoed through the trees that could only have one source, my sister, bowling down a pack of Ursa. A particularly large one fell at her feet as she emerged from the trees.

She sheathed her blood red katana and came to stand beside me, “Brother, don’t tell me you have already partnered up.”

“Sorry about that,” Summer waved at her, but her charms were lost entirely on Raven.

“Why must you disappoint me so?” Raven nudged my ribs.

“Hey, our teams can consist of four people, that way you don’t have to be entirely split up.” Summer shrugged.

“That is not my concern, my concern is this buffoon behind me.” Just as my sister finished her statement another Ursa charged upon us. Before any of us could raise our weapons, a short broad shouldered boy had already kicked it away and he cleaved its head off with a single stroke from two short swords. He brushed his golden hair from his head and grinned at me.

“Name’s Taiyang,” he beamed at my lovely sister next. I felt her hovering over my shoulder, unimpressed with this buffoon despite his good timing. She would have turned around with her usual disinterested huff but for the second time in mere moments we were protected by him. With the suave flick of Taiyang’s wrist, a short sword shot through the air--a hairsbreadth away from Raven’s very precious hair--into the eye socket of a crouching Ursa. Raven contemplated him with minor praise in her eyes, but only for a moment, our fight was far from over.

The Ursa wasn’t yet dead, Summer leapt and stabbed it through the side and it dissipated into dust. Just as it vanished another emerged in its place. And so we began to bond as only future Huntsmen and Huntresses could. We slaughtered Grimm until the forest once again fell silent. 

Summer broke it this time, “Onto the relics?”

“Definitely, you guys fight great!” Taiyang gave us an appraising thumbs up and Summer lead the way through the trees. Taiyang followed right behind, and Raven moved next.

“I suppose we’ll be stuck with them.” She grumbled.

“I think this could be fun.” 

And with that we all fell into place -

Summer Rose

Taiyang Xiao Long

Raven Branwen

Qrow Branwen

Team STRQ. 

Summer lead us well.


	3. A Warrior's Clothes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow had never seen a school uniform before. . .

“This is our room?”

“I know, isn’t it great?” Summer had yet to learn that my sister’s tone was almost always her sarcastic tone. She had already claimed the bed across the room by the window with the drop of her bags. She flopped back onto the unmade mattress, her cape revealing her white ruffled combat dress as she stretched.

“It will certainly be close quarters. Where is the bathroom?” Taiyang dropped his bag in the other corner across the room and went to explore. This left the two beds to either side of the door for myself and Raven. This suited us just fine, closer to the door, closer to the escape route. I sat down to clean my weapon but Raven was still eying the room suspiciously as if something could leap out from the bed springs.

I still don’t know how my sister was so shrewd at so young of an age, and sometimes so needlessly, we didn’t even find bed bugs. Perhaps it was because she was groomed to lead from the moment she was born, while my father and I never quite saw eye to eye.

We unpacked little by little, my sister finally seemed to reconcile with the fact that she would not kill Ozpin within the next twenty four hours and so she at last made her bed. As Taiyang returned she was tucking the sheets down, knelt in front of the door, and his abrupt entrance nearly knocked her over. She stared daggers at him as he walked in, his arms full of clothes.

“Hey I picked up our uniforms, orientation is in the main hall soon, we should head over.” Taiyang passed the clothes out, brown blazers and tweed skirts and - a kilt.

“They didn’t have pants?” I asked as Taiyang held the kilt in front of me.

“It’s a warrior’s school and kilts are the uniforms of warriors, you know?” He waggled his eyebrows, “It’s the freedom of movement.”

Bastard. 

I took it from him, a little doubtful but nonetheless unfamiliar with the ways of Vale. Summer had already darted across the hall to the bathrooms to change and Raven was soon to follow. As I naively settled on Taiyang’s trustworthiness and ventured across the hall myself, Summer was on her way back, I smiled at her but she was too occupied with tying her cape to her blazer. If only she had been paying enough attention to see the skirt in my hands that was very much not a kilt, but Summer was never one for details.

I changed and folded my old clothes slowly, they were my last ties to Mistral and the Branwens. I was going to be someone new - someone who wore kilts. 

Taiyang was still in his old clothes unpacking when I reemerged from the bathroom. Catch up with the girls he said. You will have fun he said. As angry as it made me, his own mischief would soon come to haunt him.

I stepped into the dining hall self conscious but not outright embarrassed until the crowd started to take notice of me. I searched for Raven’s massive hair and Summer’s telltale hood but I couldn’t find them. At first it was a couple double takes, strange faces whipping around to stare and then back around with snickers. Then it was low giggling, then I realized all the boys had pants.

Taiyang was going to die.

I felt the shame creeping up on me. I at last saw Raven and Summer with two seats reserved for us at one of the tables. I walked towards them as the room burst into laughter. I could almost hear Raven shouting at me through her angry eyebrows. I heard Taiyang’s laughter behind me and turned to see him now dressed - wearing pants of course, and resisted the urge to snap his neck right there. When I looked at Summer, she was beet red, but she wasn’t laughing. Suddenly I had an idea - and a weapon. 

I rounded on the nearest girl, a fox faunus with whiskers. I put my hands on my hips and jutted them forward, “Like what you see, ladies?”

The faunus turned as red as Summer and looked away with a light laugh. I turned to the person next to her - a boy with bright green hair, but that didn’t stop me I wiggled my eyebrows at him and he blushed and laughed.

The roar of the room just got louder and I jumped up on a dining table, one leg stuck out at an angle, “Take it all in!”

Whistles mixed with the laughter and I felt myself blushing again, this time thrilled. I saw Raven shaking her head in shame but I wasn’t going to let her take away what confidence I had. I strutted up and down the tables, winking at women and laughing with them. A girl actually offered me her scroll number when a single snap rang throughout the hall and silenced everything.

“That’s enough everyone.” A severe woman with tied back blonde hair and glasses had her hands raised, a leather crop in one of them. Beside her Ozpin appeared and I felt the whole room tense.

“Calm down students, Professor Goodwitch, please take young Mister Branwen to get a proper uniform. Everyone else, why don’t we discuss the landing strategies you used during yesterday’s trial exercise?”

Some students were still snickering but I followed Goodwitch out with as much spring in my step that I could muster. When we left the Great Hall my act was gone in a moment, my shoulders slumped and I gulped in shallow breaths. I couldn’t believe I had actually done that. I saw Professor Goodwitch giving me a stern side eye and calmed a bit. I was certainly making a name for myself at Beacon. Though the class clown wasn’t what I had intended, I would take it as a start. 

And a Branwen never forgets a slight.

After I was returned to class - in pants - I could feel Raven’s disapproval wafting my way. I was sat beside her behind Summer and Taiyang. Summer looked back at me with an empathetic smile. Taiyang made no move to acknowledge me and my desire for revenge smoldered. After our classes ended for the day we were given time to train in our own team work out areas by the Forest of Forever Fall. 

I was surprisingly happy to see our own Team STRQ sign by the training grounds, I was even more happy to lunge at Taiyang as soon as he stepped into the ring. He had his swords up just in time. I didn’t shift my weapon to a scythe, I knew he would be too fast for that. He was stocky but he was strong. He held his ground and drove me back towards the edge of the field, but even against his impressive strength, Branwens are stronger. I dodged his left sword and knocked the right from his hand. Down to one weapon he changed his stance but even with half his power, he would not go quietly. He caught me across the face just as my massive blade swung towards his shoulder. 

“Enough!” 

I felt a strange cord slip around my waist and I saw a flash of green snake around Taiyang just as we were about to connect. Then with enough force that my lunch almost reappeared we were ripped apart to opposite ends of the training field. I slammed against a tree and a cascade of orange and red from the trees fell around me. I looked down to see rose vines wrapped tightly around my torso. They trailed back to the center of the field where Summer stood. They had grown out from her right hand fingertips and Taiyang was across the field in a similarly restrained fashion with vines growing from her left. I glanced to the side and saw Raven, her hand on her sword and her eyes on Summer. Admittedly none of us had suspected her capable of this.

“This is supposed to be sparring and training. We are supposed to be a team. We need to work together as a team. That means our disagreements have to stay off the field.” She glanced between me and Taiyang, “Go work this out, then come back here to train, I don’t want murder on my training field, understood?” 

Taiyang gave a quiet, “Yes.”

I lowered my head and felt the vines retreat. When I looked up again they disappeared into dust and white rose petals. Summer rolled her shoulders, “Well now you know my semblance.”

She grinned at us both but neither of us were particularly endeared to her at the moment. She sighed and turned to Raven, “Spar with me?”

“Sure.” Raven grinned and drew her katana as Taiyang and I got up to leave.

As we exited the training grounds he turned to me, “Look, I don’t know why I was such a jerk.”

“I think you do.” I said as I hooked my blade to my belt, it was back in its dormant form.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“What you did took planning and full intention, you don’t just accidentally grab three girl uniforms and immediately pass it off as normal.” 

“Maybe it did, I just like making people laugh, you didn’t have to try to kill me for it.” Taiyang shrugged.

“You shouldn’t do it at the expense of your teammates though.” I sighed as we entered Beacon’s courtyard.

“I’m sorry, I guess we have a lot to learn about being on a team.” Taiyang scratched his chin, “You know what would be a great way to work as a team?”

“What’s that?” 

“Let’s prank that fat TA with the trumpet next.” He got an evil glint in his eyes.

“Port? Sure.”


	4. Being at Beacon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How did Qrow get that red cape?

My days at Beacon were unlike anything I had ever known. We had lectures and lunches, battles in the afternoon and days off on weekends. It was a structure I had never known, and admittedly it made me itch for something - unusual. 

I found it in the other students. There were not many children in the Branwen tribe that were our age or brave enough to spar with Raven and I. The students at Beacon were all fearless and they fought in so many different styles and ways I could just get lost in their battles. I watched as much as I partook and though we rarely fought Grimm, on the occasions we did, Team STRQ did alright. Taiyang was too brash to listen to Summer’s sense and Raven was a little sour that Summer was the one calling the shots instead of her. As for myself, as usual I just hacked the Grimm to death and tried to stay out of everybody’s way - not that I had any success with that. 

Things didn’t really start to come together until the end of our first term. We were going on a mission shadowing a professional huntsmen or huntress. We would all be assigned to different areas of the country. We actually had the option to choose where we going to go but in spectacular STRQ fashion, we had all slept in that day.  
Raven was the first to realize. She flailed from underneath her covers and screamed at the rest of us, “It’s almost noon!” 

In an instant, the rest of us were upright, and the clock on the wall confirmed her fear. We were so nervous we simply put shoes on and ran for the Great Hall. That was the incident that really made me and Taiyang even because while I slept in sweatpants and an undershirt like a normal person, Taiyang slept in bunny rabbit flannel pants and that was it. So once we entered the Great Hall, everyone in our year got a good view of Taiyang’s pajama choices. 

I hadn’t really thought about what Summer wore to bed, somehow she already had her cape on and it obscured her clothes except for her unlaced knee-high gray boots. Raven slept in a t-shirt and shorts so she was perfectly comfortable as we scanned for an unclaimed mission, unfortunately most of the good ones looked to have been taken. 

Summer found one slot that wasn’t taken. It was escorting a train shipment to the northern end of Sanus. She pointed it out to us and just as we all agreed it sounded like a good choice, Goodwitch descended on us.

“This mission hasn’t been sanctioned for first years.”

“But Professor, there are hardly any good ones left.” Summer pleaded.

“Yeah, come on, Goodwitch.” Taiyang added.

Her response was to crack her crop in Taiyang’s general direction. Being more scantily clad than usual he jumped back several feet, which attracted the attention of Ozpin.

“What’s going on here, students?” He approached sipping his usual tea, the cane clacking as he went.

“Let us have this mission, Professor Ozpin,” I said.

“Please,” 

Raven never said please but I thought my sister said that. Evidently everyone else did too, because they looked at her mouth to make sure that was really the source of the sound. Unperturbed by our stares, Raven crossed her arms and repeated her request, “Please let us have the mission.” 

“Well I know that you are all capable students, despite certain appearances,” Ozpin glanced at Taiyang, “I’ll have to look over these specifications again. Hmmm.”

“They’re just first years, Sir, the recommended level of this mission is usually third years.” Goodwitch wrung the crop in her hands.

“Do you think they are capable students?” Ozpin stared at her over his glasses.

Glynda glanced between us and Ozpin, “Well yes, but that’s-”

“Hmmm. Yes, well I see a solution, Glynda, you’ll just have to be the one to supervise the mission to see that they do alright.” Ozpin went back to sipping his tea.

“But sir, how can you make an exception like this?” 

“We must have faith in our students, Glynda.” Ozpin grinned over his mug and went off towards the next group, “For without faith, they cannot achieve a fraction of their potential.”

Glynda stalked off leaving us to meander back to our rooms to dress. Raven nudged me in the side as we went, “He hasn’t forgotten my plan to kill him.”

“Plan? Did you really think the method through?” I asked.

“Well I have a general idea,” Raven shrugged.

“Hey guys, where did Summer go?” Taiyang asked as we rounded the dorm hall. We pushed open the door to our room and there she was, three wrapped presents piled high in her arms.

“I wanted to get us something to commemorate our first big mission as Hunstmen and Huntresses.” She handed a package to each of us and gleefully bounced back on her bed.  
We each sat on our beds and unwrapped them. They were capes, yellow for Taiyang, black for Raven and red for myself.

“You’re such a mom.” Taiyang tentatively wrapped himself in his cape.

“Why red?” I asked as I held my cape up in the light. It was beautiful fabric, longer and wider than Summer’s cape.

To my surprise, Summer was blushing, “Your eyes are red. I like them. They’re your most prominent feature--Like Raven’s hair is hers.” 

“And I’m just a dandelion?” Taiyang asked as he held up the cape. We laughed as Raven folded hers.

“I’m sorry, Summer, I just don’t do capes.” She grabbed her clothes and headed to change in the bathroom, the cape left behind.

“Yeah, thanks for the gesture, but I’m not a cape kind of guy.” Taiyang tossed his on the bed and went to change.

Summer looked about ready to cry. I wasn’t prepared for this softer side of our fearless leader. Without thinking about it, I patted her hair, “You know, I am a cape kind of guy.”

“Really Qrow?” She hugged me, just as Raven returned, accusatory eyebrow high in the air.

“I’m sure I can work this into my clothes.” I wiggled free of Summer’s grasp and went to change.

We weren’t leaving for our missions until the next day so I put on my uniform and fastened the cape to my collar. As I returned to the room, I thought about Summer’s assessment of our colors. Taiyang was very obviously golden and yellow. His swords were gold, his hair was gold, a real sunny type. Raven’s hair was like her own black shroud of doom, surrounding her at all times, honestly it was practically her own cape already. Summer was an interesting blend. All black and gray beneath the red lined, white cape. 

I guess I would come to have a thing for girls in white.

Once our weapons were loaded and our attire closer to Glynda’s standards, we embarked to our afternoon classes. As we left, Raven stood on my cape to hold me back.

I yanked it from under her boot, “What was that for?”

“You can’t seriously intend to wear that?” She asked.

“What if I do?”

“Remember why we’re here, Qrow.” She sounded every bit like our father.

I was determined to wear the cape not only to make Summer happy, but admittedly, to spite my sister. Unfortunately, cape wearing is a lot harder for the novice than it would appear. Summer made it look easy, with her twirls and dashes here and there. In actuality, capes got stuck under chair legs, under feet, in between doors, and in the way of my own arms. Despite all this - damn is it majestic to walk in a cape. It made me feel almost as if I was flying without shifting form. At the end of the day, I made my way to the roof of Beacon and stood in the night wind.

“You’re so pathetic.” 

Just when I thought I could get away from my sister, “What makes you say that today?”

“Fawning over her, wanting to be the favorite. Distracted by her gifts.” I felt her approach behind me, she lurked in my blindspot as usual. 

“Is that what you think is going on?” I asked.

“Why can’t you just focus on why we’re here?”

“Why can’t you just relax?” I whirled on her, and the cape provided me with a nice whoosh effect to my annoyance, “For once in our lives, we’re not the Branwen heirs, we’re us.”

I expected her to fight back, to tell me how wrong I was, to quote Father or one of the tribe elders, but the blank expression on her face told me I might have actually gotten to her. She turned and went inside, hair swooshing behind her in silence.

I turned back around to face the wind with a grin, her hair really was her own cape. I sighed and breathed in the night air, only to feel a presence reappear behind me.

I closed my eyes in exasperation, “Back for round two? I thought we were done fighting for the night?”

“On the contrary, I haven’t seen you since this morning.”

My eyes snapped open again, “I didn’t realize it was you, Professor Ozpin.”

He came to stand beside me, still swinging his cane but no coffee mug this time, “I come up here sometimes myself. I didn’t realize this spot had attracted your attention as well.”

“It’s a nice view.” I said.

“Vale is beautiful,” Ozpin studied me from the corner of his eyes, “So have you made up your mind yet?”

“About what?”

“If you want to kill me, of course.”

“Right now, I don’t think I do.”

“But that may change?”

“If our circumstances do.”

“You and your sister are creatures of survival. I intend for you to do more than survive here. My hope is that you will thrive.” Ozpin leaned on his cane.

“Why do you care so much about us, really?” 

“Truthfully, the answer is selfish. There is a great threat to all mankind emerging from the shadows, and it will take the strongest Huntsmen and Huntresses fighting together if we even have a fraction of a chance to win.” 

“Well, that’s a lot to lay on a kid.” I stepped back from him.

“You’re no ordinary child, Qrow.” Ozpin sighed, “But don’t be too concerned, all the pieces aren’t in play yet. There’s still a chance the coming conflict can be prevented. Just worry about your first mission now. Bodyguards, it was an interesting choice for Summer, and the Schnees are an interesting family.”

“Bodyguards? I thought we were protecting a cargo shipment?” I asked.

Ozpin grinned. “Why yes, a shipment of Dust crystals yes, but also Jacques Schnee and his young daughter are part of the cargo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Qrow getting his cape from Summer is based on this comic: http://fjtiko.tumblr.com/post/142332288954 all credit to the artists, I really liked the idea.


	5. International Relations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silver eyes and Ice Queens meet on team STRQ's first mission. . .

Even when we were teenagers, the Schnee Dust Company, or SDC didn’t have the best reputation among the kingdoms. Being from outside the kingdoms, Raven and I were unfamiliar with the rumors of cutting corners and sketchy decisions, but we caught on quickly. From the moment we met Jacques Schnee we knew he was one shady bureaucrat.

Schnee met us at a train station in Western Sanus. He wore a pristine white suit with the snowflake emblem of his company on his breast pocket. Nervously clutching his hand was a young white haired girl. She looked every inch an angel in a soft blue dress, except for all the sugar from Turkish delight spilled on her face and hands as she munched away. She couldn’t have been old enough for primary school. Surrounding the bunch were five Atlesian soldiers with guns and three young cadets - or students, we would soon learn they were both - flanked their outer guard. 

It must have looked rather strange for our colorful mismatched team and Goodwitch to approach the train. It was apparently strange enough for the guards to raise their weapons and the cadets to reach for theirs before Schnee raised a hand to halt them. 

“Glynda, what is the meaning of this? Ozpin said he would send professional soldiers, not teenage rebels.” Schnee waved at us dismissively. All of us bristled at that, even Summer the most patient of us was white knuckled as Glynda stepped up to the plate for us. I thought it was hilarious that only yesterday she had been the one doubting us, but should anyone else doubt her students, that was when Mamma Bear reared her head..

“They are professional guards today,” She crossed her arms, “They are the future Huntsmen and Huntresses of Vale, more than capable of escort duty.

“I thought I was dealing with the Council, the government, where’s the army?” Schnee asked.

“As far as Vale is concerned the Huntsmen and Huntresses are the protective forces of the country.” The newcomer was a man in a white military uniform. He eyed us as he approached, his gaze lingering on Summer and then flicking to me. I could tell he didn’t like capes, probably thought them too frivolous.

“That doesn’t reassure me, Major Ironwood.” Schnee frowned.

“These are Ozpin’s students, that should be reassuring enough.” Ironwood stepped between Schnee and Glynda.

“I plan to split the team into two parts-”

“Fine!” Schnee huffed and interrupted Ironwood, “The sooner we get on this train, the sooner that we are out of this forsaken country. I want the girls guarding mine.”

Schnee glanced at his daughter and seeing her messy face, he knocked the remaining Turkish delight from her hand. He turned and boarded the train, leaving his daughter crying on the platform. Glynda and Summer knelt to see to her instantly. Summer wiped away her tears, only for Winter to smack her hand away. Glynda looked up at us, “I suppose we should follow Mr. Schnee’s wishes. Qrow and Tai, you go with the Major, Summer and Raven will come with me and Miss Schnee.”

With that we were divided up. The girls guarded the little Schnee girl near the rear of the train, Tai and I followed the guards to the front of the train where Schnee was going to conduct a private scroll call.

Ironwood addressed us to stand guard of Schnee’s car but not so close that we might overhear his business transactions. Then we were left alone for an hour that lasted centuries. Tai and I stretched across the train seats, weapons and feet propped up and bored out of our minds.

“I know they were worried about us not being able to handle this mission, but man I wish we had even a little bit of a challenge.” Tai mused.

“I know, right? What’s so dangerous about guarding the Schn-akes anyway?” I leaned back.

“Well they are frequent targets.”

“Of whom?” 

Before Tai could answer me, his scroll went off, and he laughed at the message on it.

“What is it?” I dropped my arm over my eyes.

“Your sister says Winter Schnee is a real brat.” 

I sat up, “Raven texted you that?”

“Yeah, she’s pretty funny when she stops brooding so much.” Tai pocketed his scroll and leaned back. 

“Nice to know.” I was not jealous. It was only normal for teammates to become closer as time went on, but I rarely knew what Raven was thinking anymore. While I was coming into my own, Raven was drawing further away from me, and quite possibly closer to Taiyang Xiao Long.

I did not text Summer out of pettiness. Only out of pettiness anyway. A minute later she told me Winter Schnee loved to sing and was refusing to stop and at this rate would probably sing the whole way through Northern Sanus. I guess that qualified as brat-like behavior. I was surprised Glynda hadn’t silenced her, and when I told Summer as much she said Glynda had been unusually tense, and disappeared half an hour ago. 

I heard Tai snoring and lowered my scroll, no way the Major was going to like that. I woke him up just in time, Major Ironwood reappeared a moment later, the same ray of sunshine he was before.

“I hope you boys are staying alert, the safety of Jacques Schnee should be your top priority. It isn’t often that professional Huntsmen get assigned to protect prominent people, but it does happen on occasion.”

“Alert and ready to go, sir.” Tai gave a half dazed salute and Ironwood scrutinized him, probably trying to tell if he was half asleep or his hair was always that messy. What he didn't know was that the answer was both.

“Good, that’s the way you should be,” Ironwood almost smiled just as my scroll went off, “An update?”

I checked it. It was a joke from Summer, “No, sir, just a friend’s message.”

“Stay focused, gentlemen.” He turned to go just as the door to the train car in front of us was thrown open, “Schnee’s safety is vital-”

“I’m sorry but who might attack this guy anyway?” I asked.

Ironwood looked ready to issue me pushups just as a loud bang echoed through train and the brakes squealed to a halt. Tai fell from his seat and Ironwood struggled to remain upright as we braced against the sudden impact. The door to the car in front of us swung open and a terrified, disheveled Schnee appeared.

“Faunus terrorists!” He snapped.

“Faunus activists,” Tai corrected under his breath as he got to his feet. 

A panicked engineer ran through the car, “Grimm!”

“Not faunus, then? This is surprising, have the hunters-in-training kill whatever Beowolf won’t get off the tracks and let’s get on with it.” Schnee dusted himself off.

“No Mister Schnee, it is not Beowolves, it is worse. Much worse.” Just as the engineer finished speaking we heard another bang. Then with the sick crunching of metal bending and breaking, half our train car collapsed and the long body of a King Taijitu constricted around the crushed car. We held our arms over our heads to defend ourselves as the debris and dust cleared. As the snake Grimm slithered back we saw not one but several King Taijitu surrounding the train. And faunus dressed all in black. Their planned mugging of the train had attracted the Grimm so we now had to deal with both of them.

Schnee rubbed his forehead, “Great, huge Grimm and faunus!”

A large boom echoed from somewhere down the train and we all realized that a train whose cargo was Dust - a highly explosive substance - was not the best place for a battle.

Schnee grabbed hold of me and Tai, “Find my daughter! Save her! Bring Winter to me!” 

“Yes sir,” 

Ironwood jumped up on the train car and started raining fire at the Grimm from the roof. Several other soldiers were doing the same. 

Tai and I looked at each other and jumped above the rubble, both of us running for the back of the train and the girls’ car. We made it across one car just as three faunus jumped us. I punched one and kept running as he fell, Tai dealt with the other two. Glynda appeared on the roof and with a flick of her crop she launched huge pieces of the train rubble at the Grimm and still managed to whip a jumping faunus across the face. Once I’d cleared the collapsed car and fired off a few rounds at the Taijitu, I jumped down into the last passenger car to find it smashed open and Raven slaughtering a faunus. 

Summer was guarding Winter, who screamed at the sight of the faunus corpse. Summer did her best to shush her, but the scream was enough for the white half of one of the Taijitu to ram its head into the side of the train car. Summer tackled the little girl and rolled out of the way just in time. The impact of its head set off the train car behind it, which was evidently full of red dust as it burst into flames. 

Raven ran her sword through the Taijitu's eye as I helped Summer stand. The Taijitu shrieked and retreated, Raven leapt out of the train after it. Little Winter clung to our capes as if they were curtains she could draw in front of her eyes.

Instinctively, I patted her head, “It’s going to be okay, kiddo.”

She sniffled and then shrieked, "Watch out!" 

Summer and I jumped back as the fire began to spread into our car. We pulled on Winter only much to our surprise the kid summoned an ice glyph. The glyph shot at the fire and a wall of ice formed. It wouldn't be enough to extinguish an entire car of flaming dust but it was something. This kid was more than attitude and tears after all.

“We have to get her to the front of the train.” I pointed to the nearest intact car, only for the figures of Faunus to fill the windows.

“We’ll have to take the roof then,” Summer grabbed Winter and leapt for the window. I glanced between the window and the faunus and decided I’d be more effective following them. 

I climbed up after them, and we ran between Glynda and the soldiers. Then several bad things happened all at once.

Another car full of dust blew.

Glynda got distracted by a faunus stabbing her in the leg. 

Winter tripped.

Summer knelt to help her.

The black head of a Taijitu lunged right for them.

I removed that head from the body with my scythe but as I landed in front of Summer and Winter, I forgot about the white head. 

I wasn’t going to get my weapon up in time, I hurried to raise it as the monster’s fangs grew bigger until all I saw was the gaping darkness of its mouth, and any moment I expected to feel it clamp around  
my head but then all I saw was silver light.

I was not eaten by the damn snake Grimm, nor was anyone else on the train after that, because the purest brightest light I had ever seen poured out of Summer’s eyes. I shielded my face from her, Winter hid under my cape, and when the dust settled and the light faded, a wobbly Summer collapsed into my arms. 

The Taijitus that had been closest to us were nothing but dust, the ones further away seemed frozen with this foggy crystal substance restraining them, and the ones that were farthest away, I swear to heaven they were retreating. 

I shook Summer, “What the hell did you do?”

“My family’s. . . always. . .” Summer gasped for breath as she clung to me, “There’s no time to explain now, get Winter out of here.” 

“I’m not leaving you shaking like this.” 

Summer pulled herself from my grasp and in an instant her opal spear was swinging. She knocked a stunned faunus off the train and turned back to me, “I can take care of myself, now get her out of here. That’s an order from your leader.”

“Yes ma’am,” I said. I was unhappy about it, but the mission did come first, I scooped up terrified, crying and screaming Winter and bolted for the front of the train. 

When I delivered her to her father, he was holed up under a piece of debris hiding behind Ironwood’s men, “Thank goodness, she’s alive.”

He squeezed her so tight she cried out. I backed away from them and surveyed the situation. In my absence, Ironwood had sustained heavy injuries. He was lying on the compartment floor, soaked in blood with Tai frantically bandaging him. His men were still fighting off the faunus and it seemed like the faunus were winning.

A moment later I got a call on my scroll. Raven.

“Qrow, I need you.” I jumped up onto the roof with her and the Branwen twins did what we did best. We fought. 

In the end the only casualties were two of Ironwood’s men, and three faunus Raven had hurriedly killed when the attack first began. Glynda was cleaning up the red tape and actually cleaning up the train so that the rest of the dust didn't blow up and it was travel ready again. Ironwood had to be flown to a special care facility. I guess he had nearly been eaten by one of the Taijitu in order to save one of his men. All of team STRQ waited in the remaining half of mine and Tai’s compartment. Raven was tightening gauze on Summer’s arms and Tai was stretching out his legs. I was curled in the corner against the window when I just couldn’t take it anymore.

“So Summer, what exactly did you do on the roof?” I asked.

“Yeah I heard you basically wiped out the Grimm all at once,” Tai beamed at her.

Summer smiled sheepishly, “It’s not something I’m supposed to do, or something I’m very good at actually.”

“Looked effective to me,” Raven said.

“Your semblance is rose vines, so what was that?” I pressed.

“I was born into a special family, they’ve passed down this power for generations, I don’t really understand it, but it’s something I inherited and whenever I’m in great distress, I can turn that distress back against the Grimm.” Summer’s hands fidgeted in front of her.

“Hey, it worked so I’m not complaining.” I leaned back against the seat and tried not to stare at her. Something about her seemed off from the moment I met her, but that very peculiar part of her was still drawing me to her and she had possibly just saved us all.

“Please don’t tell anyone, guys?” Summer entreated us.

“It will be a team secret.” Tai gave her a thumbs up. 

She was just about to add something when a disheveled Winter appeared in what remained of the doorway.

“Thank you, Huntsmen.” she bowed like a little princess and scampered off at the angry call of her father.

“Well that’s it guys,” Tai watched her go, “That face of immeasurable gratitude, does it make it all worth it?” 

“Time will tell.” Raven said.

Time talks way too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More coming soon, hope you guys like it!


	6. Vytal Reactions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taiyang had to ask Raven out at some point - it's only natural for partners to dance. . .

The Vytal Festival was a time honored tradition that marked the continued peace in Remnant by having the best students of its’ four combat schools fight nearly to the death every two years. In our second year, we had the honor of it coming to Beacon and preceding the festival came one of the scariest missions of our lives:

We had to find dates to the dance.

Ozpin and Glynda greeted us over breakfast one morning with the announcement that they were hosting a formal dance and we all had to attend. I thought I could slip into the woodwork as I usually did and avoid the whole pointless affair, but Ozpin seemed to read my mind as he looked directly at our team when he mentioned attendance was mandatory. 

In the days that followed, the chaos that ensued was unlike any Team STRQ had ever faced before. Tai and I were shining up our weapons in the Great Hall after dinner one night when things first started to get truly awkward.

“So Qrow. . .”

“Yeah?”

“I was thinking about the Beacon Dance. . .”

“It is coming up.”

“I was also thinking about who I could take. . .”

I glanced over to see him sweating so much he looked ready to lay an egg. I fidgeted, “You weren’t thinking of asking me, were you?”

Tai jumped about five feet in the air and frantically waved his hands in denial. I had to double over and hold my stomach I was laughing so much. As we both calmed down, I reached for a drink of water only for Tai to drop this little bomb on me.

“I want to take Raven.”

I spit out my drink, “What?”

“She’s pretty and she’s my partner, it only seems natural, you know?” Tai shrugged, “Come on, you’ll probably take Summer, right? I know she wants you to ask her.” 

Ignoring his comments about Summer, I pressed on, “Why are you asking me?”

“I just wanted to make sure that you were cool with it.” Tai scratched his face.

I considered it for a second, “Yeah, I’m cool with it, are you sure that you know what you’re getting into though?” 

Grinning and so full of it, Tai waved his hands, “Your sister is an angel who fell from the skies,”

“So was the devil,” I responded and we both burst into laughter.

Tai sighed and got up to go, “That wouldn’t make me like her any less.”

I finished cleaning my scythe and followed him back to our room. Raven was there studying and Summer was nose deep into a novel. Tai asked Raven to walk with him and that left me and Summer alone. 

I leaned back against my headboard. Then my eyes found their way to Summer. I stared at her reading as I contemplated my next move. Tai was right. She was gorgeous, we were partners, she was gorgeous, she whipped everyone on the team into shape, we were a solid fighting force, it made sense for us to go in pairs. So why in all of Remnant was I so nervous to ask her? 

We had no shortage of time together when I could ask her. We trained together Monday, Wednesday and Friday after classes. Tai and Raven suddenly seemed to have disappeared so now it was only us going for ice cream after tough assignments, or to see movies on the weekend in Vale. 

Admittedly, I didn’t have my massive suave repertoire that I would come to be known for - I would only get that after Summer was gone and I would trade in everything I learned about wooing women just to talk to her again.

But that’s not the point.

The point was that at the end of the second week of Tai and Raven spending copious amounts of time together and Summer and I hanging out alone, the tension in the air was as heavy as an Ursa. 

Summer and I got along just fine, great in fact. She had the same sense of humor as me, albeit a gentler one. And if I let myself really look at her, she was gorgeous, brilliant, our team's confident leader. Her bravery was matched only by her compassion and she was so damn cute. She was just tall enough to reach my shoulders with the top of her head. Though I was still wary of them, her silver eyes were endless and if I was quick, I could catch them looking at me too.

One night, we were on our way back from this little diner in Vale, Summer had caught hold of Tai but he declined and swooped out with my sister, so it was the two of us. I was carrying our leftovers in little styrofoam containers when we approached the statue of Vale’s Heroes in the courtyard. Summer stopped and stared at the statue. I stood beside her, feeling the warmth come off her shoulder, a little part of me unreasonably excited that she stood so close to me, and a more rational part of me that made fun of me for it. Then what happened next turned my struggling brain to radio silence. 

“I like you.”

“I want to take you to the dance.”

I wasn’t sure which of us had spoken first, or which statement I had actually said because looking at her blushing in front of me, both were true. Summer was as red as my cape. Then she smiled at me and I dropped our leftovers.

We both laughed and once the containers were picked up, Summer held onto my arm the rest of the way back to our room. The great divide of awkwardness that had grown up between us over the past couple of weeks was suddenly gone and I had my best friend back.

Summer made a joke about Professor Peach just as we got to the room. We were laughing hard as I fumbled with the key. Summer bumped into me as I turned the handle. As a result, my mouth brushed her forehead as the door swung open. I wasn’t even sure I’d meant to do it, but when I saw her smile, I was so glad I had done it that I kissed her forehead again. Then I looked through the door the first thing I saw was Raven staring daggers at me on her bed. Tai was sawing logs on his bed, completely oblivious to the world. Sensing the tension, Summer grabbed the leftovers from me and scurried to put them away. 

Raven and I stared each other down.

“Remember why we’re here, Qrow.” She cautioned.

“I should tell you that, how often have you been going out with Tai?” I raised my eyebrow at her.

“Father would not be happy with either of us at the rate we’re going.” Raven set down the book she had been reading.

“You just don’t want to admit it.” 

“Admit what?” She asked, “That I actually like it here? That I like him?” she gestured at Tai.

“Well yeah.”

“You’re right, I don’t want to admit it, and I don’t know if I’ll ever want to admit it.”

“Well stop taking it out on me.” I turned and felt a tug on my sleeve. Summer.

“Come with me,” She said.

How could I refuse? She lead me back to the training grounds. It was well after dark and all the other teams’ training spaces were deserted. 

“Summer, we just practiced a few hours ago.” I said as we approached.

“We practiced sparring, now I want to practice something else very important.” She set her spear down and walked to the middle of the field, her arms held out to me.

“What is this?” I asked as I sat my weapon beside her spear.

“I want to dance with you.” Summer held her arms up and when I got to her she placed my hand on her upper waist and took my other in hers.

“There’s no music.” I said.

“I’ve got that covered.” She produced her scroll and a few taps later, a soft melody began to play. She tucked it in her belt and took my hand again, “If we’re going to be dancing in front of all the students of Beacon, Haven, Atlas and Shade, I want us to dance properly.”

“Doesn’t the man lead?” I asked.

“You will, once I show you how.” Summer promised, "You'll thank me for this when you try to win girls over. They always love a man who can dance." 

"What if the only girl I want to win over can dance better than me?" 

"Then you had best be an attentive student."

Left foot, right foot. Together. Right foot, left foot. Together. Repeat.

The waltz might sound pretty monotonous, but I was more anxious with each step. I was caught between staring at my own feet, Summer’s face and the sky. I wasn’t sure which was a more awkward direction to look, but I did know which was my favorite. 

After several turns around the training grounds I looked at her face again, “So where did you learn to dance like this?”

“My parents taught me when I was little, our village has a huge festival every year and everyone dances in it.” Summer smiled. She was always talking like this about her family. Little snatches of happiness, it sounded like she had a pretty nice life outside of school.

“Where is your village, by the way?” I asked.

“Northeast of Vale, along the coast.” Summer shrugged, “What about you?”

I stiffened and our feet got off beat, “What about me?”

“You never talk about where you lived before Beacon, neither does Raven.” Summer squeezed my hand. 

“I’m not supposed to,” I said just as we heard a bird cawing in the distance. It wouldn’t be Raven, and I doubted any tribesmen would come this close to Beacon, but it still made me uneasy, “I was raised in Mistral, but pretty far away from the kingdom. Raven and I had never seen so many people before coming here.” 

“Will you go back after we graduate?” Summer asked.

“We have been told to.”

“It sounds like you don’t want to,” Summer shifted our frame so we were closer, “I don’t think Raven wants to either.”

“I’m starting to wonder about that myself,” I said as I held her.

“I told myself there was something keeping you two aloof, that I probably couldn’t untangle whatever mess you were in, but I think I’m falling for you anyway.”

“Me too.” I held her close. “I’ll just have to figure out something before graduation.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Qrow and Taiyang's conversation about Raven inspired by this post from ifunny https://www.pinterest.com/pin/528328600021326768/


	7. Stalling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Relationships have consequences, Raven's family ties and romantic ties are tested when the two become one and the same.

Despite my promise to Summer, I had no idea what Raven and I were going to do as graduation approached. I even considered not going back with her or running away with Summer, if she would come with me. I had loved my years at Beacon and since that fateful day before the Vytal festival, I had fallen in love with Summer and it was very obvious Tai and Raven had it bad for each other. 

Summer and I had developed knocks just to make sure it was safe to enter our room. It was necessary after I nearly killed Tai the end of our second year when I walked in on him and Raven en flagrante. And by mid semester our third year, we weren’t the only ones doing safety knocks. 

What could I say? Summer and I were in love, and man did she get flustered so easily. It was so fun.

I would slip into bed on school mornings, my hands cold from the sink and tickle Summer till she jumped awake. She would be red in the face and eagerly punching my chest, I would kiss her forehead and say, “Hey, cutie.”

She would stop fighting me and kiss me on the lips, just in time for Tai to wake up and make a noise of mock disgust. Despite our disagreements, and possibly because we were all happily occupied in relationships, Team STRQ had never done better. Though we only made it to singles in the Vytal Festival tournament, in the end, Raven was defeated by this kid from Shade, we picked ourselves up and were a stronger team. We were breezing through our last year at Beacon.

When it came time to graduate, I thought nothing, not even the impending promise to my father could bring us down, until I saw Raven vomiting in a trash can on the way to our graduation ceremony. And then on the way back, and then in a diner in Vale about an hour later. It was obvious, but still Tai managed to surprise us. Summer and I sat across from him at the diner while Raven emptied her stomach in the bathroom. 

Tai sighed and looked between us and of course just as I took a sip of coffee, he said: “Qrow, your sister is pregnant with my kid.” 

I spit out my drink and coughed, “Tai, you have got to stop having important conversations with me when there’s a beverage in my hand.”

“Really? That’s so awesome! Congratulations!” Summer positively beamed and hugged Raven upon her reappearance who was too exhausted and drained to complain.

“So what does this mean?” I narrowed my gaze on Raven as she sat down.

“We’re moving in together, I’ve got us a little place of the coast of Vale on this island called Patch, I can teach at Signal Academy there.” Tai was his usual ray of sunshine.

“So are you going to get married?” Summer asked.

Tai and Raven looked at each other and Raven cast a quick glance at me before nodding. Summer nearly flung herself across the table in her hurry to hug them both. I sighed and took another swig of coffee. Tai began rattling off wedding plans to Summer as if he had been thinking of them for ages. Summer immediately promised we would go with them to Patch, and help them every step of the way. I smiled with polite, “yes, dears” to my excited little Rose, and watched my sister for chinks in her armor. Then Raven looked at me with an expression I wasn’t used to seeing on her face - fear. 

The four of us got two rooms in an Inn before we could arrange transport to Patch. That night I finally cornered Raven on the roof.

“How long have you known?” I asked. It was my turn to be the vaguely condescending sibling lurking in her blind spot, and I was a little happier about that than I cared to admit.

“A few days, I’m only about a month along.” Raven clutched her stomach.

“Have you told our father any of these plans?”

“No. I’ve been too afraid.” 

“You were always his favorite, I’m sure he’d be happy the Branwen tribe will continue another generation.” I shrugged and came to stand beside her, “Also, you haven’t killed Ozpin yet so technically the deal isn’t up, we could hang around until you do that.”

“Not if my baby is a Xiao Long and you know as well as I do that I’ll never kill him.” Raven sighed.

“Well just don’t take Tai’s name, it’s as simple as that.”

“It’s not simple, stop pretending like it is!” I was surprised to see there were tears in her eyes when she yelled at me.

I half hugged her, which was about as much affection as she ever tolerated. “I know it isn’t simple, that’s why you can’t keep running from it. So what have you told the old bird?” 

“We’re spending another year in Vale, he was disappointed but not overly worried.” Raven leaned her head on my shoulder.

“So you’ve bought us a year.” I mused.

“Yes, and you should help me figure out how to talk to him before it’s over.” 

I laughed, “Raven I’m terrible at talking to our father.”

“I know you are, but I need you to help me anyway.” she said.

I gave her a squeeze, “We’ll work on it, Summer’s waiting for me.”

“Don’t make my mistakes, brother.” Raven said as I went to leave.

“Summer isn’t a mistake.”

Summer was everything I wanted. When I closed the door to our Inn room, I heard water running in the shower. I collapsed on the bed and waited until Summer emerged in a fluffy white bathrobe. She smiled when she saw me lying there waiting for her. I pulled her onto my lap and kissed her. She smelled of soap and fresh air and it felt good to hold her close. She tucked her head against my neck and I kissed hers. I peeled off that bathrobe and just held her against me under the covers.

I pulled back a bit, “Hey Summer?”

“What is it, Qrow?”

“When we get my sister and Tai sorted out, let’s get married too.” 

She pulled away from me and braced her hands against my chest. Summer unbuttoned each of my shirt buttons with agonizing slowness, and peeled it off me as delicately as if I was shedding a second skin. I practically purred when she ran her fingers along my neck. She studied me with those shining silver eyes and then she kissed me with renewed ferocity. She kissed me again and again until my mouth was numb and the rest of me was on fire.  
Then she grinned at me as I tried to reach in for one more kiss, “Yes.”

I hugged her tightly and rolled over on top of her. Summer grinned devilishly. 

It was a great graduation night. 

 

Two months later, Tai and Raven had a small wedding. There was the notable absence of mine and Raven’s family entirely, and I don’t think Tai’s parents particularly cared for his new looming, long haired and, short tempered bride. 

Tai looked very much in love, and Raven actually did too. Summer and I toasted them as maid of honor and best man respectively. Tai and I got into a short disagreement--or as Summer and Raven liked to call it--a childish food fight. Which I’m still not sure that they ever forgave us for doing, even though Tai and I were happier in the end, and Raven’s new mother in law had whipped cream in her hair, which I thought was hilarious. Summer reminded a very tipsy me, I should not voice that aloud.

Summer and I sat down after a few drinks and dances and I leaned back and laid my head in her lap, watching my best friend and my sister dancing and doing all the awkward things newlyweds were supposed to do. They greeted Tai's distant relatives, shrugged off completely drunken guests, and kissed and kissed in the moonlight.

Thankfully Raven’s morning sickness had passed, I wasn’t sure how well her new inlaws would have handled the news that their golden boy was in a shotgun wedding.  
Drunken me was about to tell Summer this, when Ozpin sat down at our table. 

“Hello Miss Rose, Mister Branwen.” He folded his hands and waited as I struggled to sit upright.

“You picked a hell of a time to drop in on us, Oz.” I said.

“Professor Ozpin,” Summer beamed.

“Well you are graduated, I don’t think there’s a need for such formality.”

“Then you must be using formality because you want something,” I pushed my bangs back.

“Well you’re not wrong, Qrow.” Ozpin sighed, “If you are sober enough to recall, a long time ago I told you that dark forces were gathering in Remnant, I’m afraid they’re drawing nearer.”

“I think I remembeer hearing something about that.” I leaned on Summer.

“I remember.” Summer said.

“Well I might have some work for you and your fiance. Though that is a discussion for another night.” Ozpin raised his glass, “To your teammates’ and to your engagement.”

We toasted right along with him, but I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling his words left in me, even when I’d sobered up a few days later. 

Life moved on though. Summer and I got a little nest all to ourselves, a loft apartment in the town of Patch, it wasn’t much, but Summer and I had yet to earn too much money. Tai started teaching at Signal as he’d hoped, and Raven got increasingly pregnant as he put a down payment on their nice little house. Tai went on missions too, just none that took him more than two or three days or far away from Raven.

Summer and I accepted missions together and socked away what we had in the hopes of a house all our own, and a nice little wedding one day. Just as in school we were excellent partners in battle. It was different fighting with Summer than with Raven. She was much more delicate in combat, much faster too and her rose semblance helped us take on many Grimm at a time. We were a duo of death, much like my sister and I had been as kids, only this time, we were helping people. 

Ozpin came to call on us again when Raven was in the seventh month of her pregnancy. He said he had work for us in Vacuo, but that we would be back in time to see the birth of our niece.  
I didn’t realize it at first, but Ozpin had originally intended that Summer go on these missions alone. Summer had refused to go without me, and as much as Ozpin disagreed with her choice, he needed her to go. So we went.

My first impression was that Vacuo was violent. It seemed worse than Mistral to me, if you can believe it. Capes were good in that they could keep the sand off if they didn’t lead to heat stroke first.  
Summer and I were sent to deliver a message to the Headmaster of Shade Academy, which admittedly seemed way too easy at first, but from the moment we arrived in Vacuo, it became apparent that was not the case.

“What do you mean he’s missing?” Summer asked the Shade official.

“We haven’t seen hide nor hair of him for months now, and he was a bear faunus you know, hairy guy.”

“How do you lose a bear in a desert?” I asked her later.

“I don’t know,” Summer said, “But hopefully we can find him soon. I want to get home.”

She wrapped her arms around me and I hugged her close. 

We had a long road ahead of us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taiyang announcing Raven's pregnancy based on this comic: http://fenioureply.tumblr.com/post/131414496198/if-it-was-an-accident


	8. Trouble in Paradise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer and Qrow's relationship is tested, as is Summer's strength, and Raven becomes a mother.

Vacuo is a land that is mostly sand and Dust. There was a huge deposit of Dust that made it a beautiful paradise for many generations. Unfortunately, quite recently that deposit was essentially cultivated into nonexistence and now the country was a wasteland. There wasn’t much infrastructure in Vacuo, but there was something of a road that lead to the remnants of Oasis. Once the most plentiful and peaceful area in all of Sanus, it was a now a wasted mining facility, with nothing but Grimm in its caverns, aside from possibly the Shade headmaster, Professor Eirian. 

I was originally to scout ahead on my wings, but we arrived just as a dust stormed did and I was lucky enough to crash back down remotely close to Summer. She begged me to stay with her after that, for fear of what lurked in the sky and around us.

It was slow going on the ground, our sense on high alert for any Grimm or bandits that might blow in on us. The normally subterranean Creep Grimm appeared much more frequently in the much more malleable sands of Vacuo but they were easy to dispatch, in small numbers. 

The closer we got to Oasis, near the very heart of Vacuo, the more Grimm we saw and the more exhausted Summer and I became.

“We should turn back,” I urged her.

“No.” She said just as another Creep rose up from the sands. She flung her spear into its skull as it shrieked and dissipated into dust. 

“We searched the city, it would take an army to search the old mine.”

“Or you on your wings, is that it?” Summer asked.

“What?” I asked as I sliced a Creep in half.

“You would do this much faster if you could just fly in, I don’t know why Ozpin wanted me on this mission, when it would be much quicker if you did it alone.” Summer and I stood back to back, but her normally comforting warmth was grating on my nerves in the desert heat. 

“We decided we were going together, and here we are.” I swept my scythe wide, Summer jumped the blade and an unsuspecting Creep was cleaved in half as I finished my circle. 

“I’m afraid I’m going to be the death of you, Qrow,” Summer said as she channeled her semblance to drive thorns through the head of an oncoming Grimm.

“Don’t count me out, just yet.” I struck down a Grimm that had tried to sneak up on her, “Come on, this is just like when we met in the Emerald Forest.”

That was when we heard the baying of the Chupacabras. They were a Grimm species primarily found in Vacuo. They were built like Beowolves but were the size of Ursai and had shield like spikes from their necks to their tails and their screeches were almost impossible to listen to, they rang in the ears and made you feel like the ground was closing in around you. Summer and I had only just heard one, when we felt its heavy paws pounding across the sands. I stood in front of Summer, scythe raised as this monster beared down on us. Then suddenly Summer’s eyes burst forth in silvery white light and the monster shrieked once more and then was just additional dust in the Vacuo desert.

Summer wobbled on her feet and I caught her, drained from the use of her power, “Why did you do that?”

“I don’t know, it just happened, maybe because we’re annoyed at each other,” She leaned into me, not yet able to stand fully. 

Then we heard others howling in the sand. I held Summer with one arm and my weapon in the other and gulped as I saw many shapes forming in the cloud of sand. A whole pack.

“Well can you do it again? Can you fight?”

“No, I don’t know!” Summer cried.

Then a silvery light brighter than I had ever seen Summer’s and strong enough to sweep away the sandstorm filled our vision. I looked at Summer but it wasn’t coming from her eyes. It was coming from something near the mines, it was coming from a person. He floated a few feet above the sand, outlined clearly in white, a stark contrast against the black ruins of the mines that cropped up on the road ahead of us. 

The sounds of the approaching Grimm faded. The sand settled, and the figure’s light faded until it was just a faint glow around his eyes. He settled back onto the ground, a large, hunched over old man, with a bear’s fur on his face and hands. He was smiling.

“I guess that’s why Ozpin wanted you to come here.” I said as Summer pushed away from me to stand on her own.

Unlike Summer, this old man did not appear exhausted, in fact he appeared renewed by the force of his power, and though he was smiling at us with the same silvery luster to his eyes that Summer had, a moment later he leapt at me. I only had a second to parry him with my blade and then the old man jumped on the weapon and swiped at my head with small daggers on a chain. I shook him off and jumped back from him, bringing the blade down towards his head.

“Wait, Professor Eirian!” Summer called out. 

The old man caught my strike with a bracer on his left arm and didn’t even flinch as the force of it sent ripples through the sand around us.

“You know me, child?” He asked Summer.

“Yes, Professor Ozpin sent us.” 

Eirian’s face scrunched up in thought as if he really didn’t believe us, and then a moment later he shoved me away and stepped back, “Get that thing away from me,” he growled in my direction.

He sauntered towards Summer, who though shaken still had her spear at the ready, “What does the old man want?”

I thought it was ironic that Eirian who looked at least twenty years older than Ozpin thought he was the old one. 

Summer extended the bound scroll we had been instructed to deliver to him and Eirian flinched. He stared at the rolled parchment for several moments and then glanced at Summer’s eyes before knocking the message from Summer into the sand.

“So it’s like that, eh?” He turned and started back towards the mining building.

“You’re not even going to read it?” I asked.

“I don’t need to, I know what he wants, if she’s here. My answer is no.” 

“He wants you to train me, why won’t you?” Summer asked. 

“You’re weak.” Eirian pronounced.

Summer’s spear shot forward, a hairsbreadth away from Eirian’s head and then she drew it back to her with her rose vine semblance, “You’re wrong.”

“Summer,” I warned.

“Listen to your lover, do you really want to fight me?” Eirian’s head turned almost completely around.

“I want to become stronger. I was born with this power and while it has helped me on occasion, as you can see it leaves me hurt every time.” Summer said. 

“Why do you think you deserve to become stronger?” Eirian glanced between us.

“To help people.” Summer leaned on her spear.

“Hah, a hopeless endeavor.” 

“But you’re a headmaster, you must believe in helping people or you wouldn’t run a school.” I said.

“Do you really think all the headmasters take their jobs out of such good intentions?” he shuffled his feet, “Besides, I quit teaching at Shade, I’m going to live out the rest of my days here, remembering what was with just me and the Grimm.”

“Then you’re still helping people,” Summer pressed, “We saw you use your power to kill all those Chupacabra. You’re keeping Grimm from escaping the mines and going after the nomads of Vacuo.”

“Some Grimm, anyway.” Eirian mumbled.

“It’s still something, it’s still helping,”

Eirian stared at her again as if he had just run into us. He grumbled under his breath and then sighed, “I will teach you some of what I know, for some time, but tell the old man I’m still not coming back to Shade.”

He lead us into the old mining shaft he used as his home. There were gaping holes were large crystals once grew. A new Dust deposit with massive crystals is as luminous as the sun at noon. In this old mine there was nothing but flecks of powder in the walls, not worth sifting through but in such large quantities that the shaft was still as bright as a clear starry night. It must have been a hell of a mine.

“These tunnels near the surface are some of the safest, I live down this one, you two can take the one off to the left here.” Eirian lead us on a tour, “I find my own food, I’ll expect you two to do the same.”

“I can do that,” I volunteered, “I’ll hunt while you two train.”

“Hah, you’d have to either be very lucky to find something edible to kill here or a bird,” Eirian laughed. 

Summer and I grinned at each other, Eirian wasn’t the only one with tricks up his sleeve. 

Eirian and Summer started training that afternoon. I went hunting and much to the old man’s chagrin killed several desert hares. I had to admit, flying really did help you find prey, which was few and far between, but it was enough for us. Summer and Eirian sparred, not with their weapons but with their auras. I didn’t learn much about their powers, Eirian seemed to shut down whenever he sensed me around and Summer was too tired at night to talk about her powers much. It had taken us about four weeks to find Eirian, which meant Summer only had a few weeks to train with him if we wanted to return in time for Raven to give birth. The days seemed to last ages though, Eirian worked her almost every waking moment and that was around the frequent Grimm attacks whenever one of those things got it in their mind to climb to the surface.

One night, while I was roasting my kill from the day, Eirian dropped in on me. He leaned against the cavern wall, just watching me for a few minutes.

“Are you going to say something or just stare at me all day?” I asked.

“You have red eyes.” He said.

“Yes, so does my sister.” I poked at the fire.

He came to sit beside me, “They are not like our Silver eyes, but not without their own struggles, I think.”

“They’re part of my semblance, inherited through my family.”

“Which is being a deadly raven, yes?” Eirian asked.

“Crow, thank you very much.” I glared at him.

“They are not so different creatures.” he laughed.

“Man, I hope you’re wrong about that.” 

The days ticked down little by little, until it was time for us to go. Eirian didn’t even say goodbye to Summer. They finished their last lesson the night before, and he went to bed without a word. When we got ready to leave we looked for him, but he was nowhere to be seen. As we left we heard only the sounds of dying Grimm deep within the cavern and knew he was up and at work.

As Summer and I headed out, I looked at her, “Smack me if I ever start becoming that crotchety.” 

She laughed, “He’s a good old man, I don’t know what made him like that.” 

“Do you think we accomplished the mission?” I asked.

Summer’s eyes glowed softly in response, “I’m a lot stronger, I’m definitely ready for whatever Ozpin wants us to do next.”

We had no idea that would involve assistant parenting.

The night we returned to Vale, Tai called my scroll before we even landed. Raven was in labor. We got to the Patch hospital just in time to spend five hours in the waiting room, pacing. Well I was pacing, Summer was picking on me.

“She’ll be fine,” Summer said for at least the twentieth time, “Raven is as healthy as a horse.”

Raven’s immediate physical health was not my concern. Of course she would be fine, Branwens recover fast. But she still hadn’t told our father that he was now a grandfather, or a father in law and I hadn’t talked to him at all in the past nine months. We only had three left of that year she bought us and Summer and I weren’t yet married or settled in a place of our own.  
When they finally let us into the room with Raven and Tai, Raven was crying. She was holding this beautiful golden haired bundle and Tai was rubbing her back, a smile on his face and tears in his eyes too. 

At first I thought Raven was just a happy new mother crying, but then I realized it was Raven. She didn’t cry. I held my little niece and at last I understood what scared and saddened her so much.

Yang’s eyes were lavender, not red.


	9. Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why did Raven leave Yang behind?

“Calm down,” I caught Raven a couple days later while she was nursing Yang, “A lot of babies are born with blue eyes that then change color.”

“Not Branwen eyes.” Raven snapped back at me. 

“Do you love her any less?” I asked.

“Of course not.” She held Yang close, “I just don’t know what to do.”

“Summer and I put a down payment on a little house on the other side of Patch.” I mused, “It looks we’re settling down here too.”

“What will we tell our father?” She adjusted her shirt and burped Yang.

“I don’t know, we’ve only got a little time left,” I scratched my head, “I guess we start with the truth.”

“You think he will accept that?” Raven raised her voice and Yang started to cry. Raven cooed her back into her sleepy content state. It was very odd seeing my sister mothering.

“I’m not saying we tell him the whole truth,” I leaned forward, “We tell him we’re gathering information in Vale, working as Huntsmen and learning from other professionals.”

“He’ll wonder why we didn’t do that at Beacon,” Raven hugged Yang, “Also why I didn’t kill Ozpin.”

“We could ask him to stage his death.” 

“This is serious Qrow.”

“What if we did just tell him the truth? Would he really be able to stop us?” 

“The tribe would invade Vale trying.” Raven sighed.

“Well we have a couple months.” I insisted. I said is to reassure myself as much as her. We had to figure something out.

Only we didn’t.

Two weeks later, early in the morning, I was awake worrying in bed. Summer slept soundlessly on my chest, her head tucked under my neck, the picture of contentment. I tried to banish my worries and nuzzle against her, when my scroll went off. I pulled away from the sleeping Summer as delicately as I could and grabbed it from the bedside table.

“Hello?” I put it to my ear.

“Qrow,” It was Tai and he was crying so much he could barely get the words out, “Qrow she’s gone.”

I sat up instantly, “What? Who?” As if I had to ask.

“Raven. She got up to check on Yang last night and she didn’t come back to bed.” I heard Yang crying in the background, “She left a note on her crib.”

“What does it say?” I asked as Summer stirred.

“That she loves us but she had to go home.” Tai sniffled, “What does that mean, Qrow? Isn’t this home?”

“She must mean our childhood home.” I swung my legs out of bed. 

“Where is that?”

“Mistral.” 

“I can’t go to Mistral, I’ve got Yang to worry about. With her wings she could fly anywhere, I don’t know where she could be. Why would she leave me like this?” Tai and Yang were both crying.

“I’ll find out. I’ll find her,” I said, “Listen to me Tai, you’ve got to stop crying and you’ve got to stop your baby crying. Your daughter needs you.” 

I glanced behind me, Summer was awake and listening, running her hands through her bedhead, “Come over here, Summer will help. I’ll call you when I know something.”

“Please bring her back, Qrow.”

At that I had to hang up. I started to get ready, and Summer put on my shirt from the night before. It hung down to her knees like a dress. I was too caught up admiring her that she threw her arms around me before I knew it.

“Is this what’s been bugging you recently?” Summer asked, “Did you know she was going to do this?”

“I was afraid of it,” I squeezed her tight, “She’s afraid of facing our father.”

“You never mentioned your father,” she mused, “He must be pretty intimidating. Are you afraid of seeing him?” 

“If I’m being honest, yes,” I ruffled her hair.

“Promise me you’ll come back?” Summer’s eyes were more worried than I expected. I realized if one Branwen twin could abandon their family, it might not be too far fetched for the other to do the same. She gripped me so tight I thought I might not get free to chase after Raven. I needed something to show her I would return.

I took off my cross pendant and draped it over her. She released me to examine it.

“I know we didn’t buy rings yet, but that will have to do.” I kissed her.

“This was your mother’s, why are you giving it to me?” she asked.

“It’s all I have left of her. It's my promise that I’ll return.” Even if I couldn’t bring my sister. 

I took off from the roof of the house. I saw a weeping Tai clutching the bundled Yang to his chest as he approached our house. Summer greeted him at the front door in my shirt and her sweatpants. As I circled the house, she looked up at me and gave me a sad smile. I cawed and departed.

I flew from before the sunrise until way after the sunset when exhaustion got the better of me. I had to stop for the night. I landed in a tree and collapsed against the branches. I had covered a lot of ground, but no sign of Raven. She couldn’t be too far ahead of me, I reasoned. I was always the faster flyer, and Raven had just given birth three weeks before, even a Branwen doesn’t recover from that instantly. 

I didn’t want to, but I needed to sleep. I laid my scythe across my lap. My head hit the bark of the trunk and I was out. I woke six hours later, texted Summer that I loved her and shifted back into bird form. I crossed the mountains and approached the eastern edge of Sanus quickly, but surely Raven couldn’t fly across a continent and an ocean in one day.  
That was when I started to detect signs of her. Little bits of feather or wind with her scent on it. I was getting closer. I finally saw her near a village called Gelben, she was descending into nearby trees and I was tired of the chase.

I lunged at her, beak and claws flashing. She squawked back at me and swiped at my wings. We pecked at each other all the way to the ground where we rolled and transformed. I reached to strike her as a human when I saw she was crying. Instead of continuing the fight, I reached out to her and helped her stand up.

“You’ve been doing that alot lately.” I said.

“Shut up.” She wiped her eyes and jumped at the growling of her own stomach.

“I’m guessing you didn’t eat much these past couple days, I know I didn’t. How about you don’t fly off and I don’t drag you back just yet, and we get some dinner?” 

“You're buying.” She tried to stomp off angrily towards the village but she was obviously physically very weak. I draped her arm over my shoulders and helped her walk into the village. 

We got a table for two near the back of the restaurant. We ordered a heaping dinner and I ordered a drink. Raven looked enviously at my whiskey.

“Nursing mothers shouldn’t drink.” I said as I took a swig.

She glared at me in silence over the table.

“So, you’re not going to say anything? Not even surprised to see me? No explanation as to what the hell you are doing?” I asked.

“I’m going back to the tribe.” she said.

“Without your daughter? Or your husband? Without even telling them what you’re doing or why you’re going?”

“We’re not supposed to tell anyone about our family.”

“They are our family!” I slammed my drink into the table and people in the restaurant glanced at us.

I sighed and Raven glared at me until our food arrived, then we ate in silence. Only after we’d finished eating and retreated to our double bed room did she speak to me again.

“Our father is dying.” Raven laid on her bed.

I sat up on mine, “What?”

“He was raiding with the tribe, and Grimm attacked.” She curled up in a ball, facing away from me.

“That happens all the time.”

“Something was different this time. A Boarbatusk gored him in the side. Being him, he didn’t tell any of the healers about it for hours and kept fighting with the rest of the tribe. When he got back to the hideout, the wound was already infected and his aura was dangerously low.” Raven said, “He sent a message asking me to come back.”

At last she turned to look at me, “He wants me to become the tribe’s leader.”

“But what about Tai? And Yang?” 

“I don’t know,”

I flopped back onto my bed, “It looks to me like you made up your mind, you chose the tribe over your own child, your own husband.”

“I haven’t.” she insisted, “I’m just being a dutiful daughter.” 

“Yeah right.”

“Be a dutiful son and come with me, at least to see our father.” Raven begged.

I sighed, “Temporarily.”

We rolled over away from each other and I drew out my scroll. I had frantic messages from Tai asking if I found her and Summer telling me she’d missed me.

To Tai I said: No luck in Sanus. Tomorrow I’ll fly to Mistral. The day after I’ll search our old home. 

To Summer I said: I love you. I think I know why she left. Something doesn’t seem right. I’m going to Mistral to see our family. I’ll find answers there.

 

I knew I would get answers from the tribe. I also knew I wouldn’t like them.

 

“The twins have returned!” 

We were hailed as heroes upon our arrival. All the tribesmen greeted us at our gates near the edge of the hideout but Raven and I flew straight to our father’s house at the center.  
We opened the doors found him sat up, bandaged in a bed in the main room. He had gauze wrapped from his shoulder to his hip but at his side was the Grimm mask he wore as Chieftain. 

He actually smiled when he saw us transform, “Raven, Qrow, you came back.”

“You did send for us,” Raven said.

He beckoned us over. Raven went to his right and I to his left. He clasped Raven’s hand and surveyed me up and down, “Qrow you have grown into a man.”

“Were you expecting a pigeon?”

He laughed and patted Raven’s hand, “There’s that sharp wit your sister complained about last we spoke. The cape is new too.”

He broke off into a coughing fit that doubled him over. When he sat back up he wiped blood from his mouth, “I’m so glad you are back.”

“We could not refuse you,” Raven beamed at him and then me. That was awfully friendly of her. I began to wonder if she had ran off so suddenly just because she knew I would have to follow her.

“I must admit, I did not know that you would both survive to make it back here,” he stared at me, “Seeing you here before me, seeing the adults that you are, I am so proud.”

Raven wobbled and then had to sit down by him, “Long flight, Father.” Or maybe you gave birth to a kid three weeks ago.

“Did you fly all the way here from Vale?” He asked.

“Over the span of a couple days.” I crossed my arms.

“You must be famished, I’ll call for food.” He said.

“So what happened to you, old bird?” 

“Qrow!”

“An unfortunate attack,” He touched his bandaged torso, “The healers are doing all they can, but I don’t know that it will be enough. That is why I am so glad you are here.”

I pulled up a chair and held my head in my hands, “I’m sorry Dad.”

“I needed to know my children would be alright leading the Branwens.”

“Of course.” Raven said.

“That’s so good to know,” he said.

I glanced over at her from between my fingertips. She was smiling, but there was the barest hint of pain in her voice and regret. Sure sounded to me like she made her choice. It was time to make mine.

“Actually we’re not. Or at least, I’m not.” I said.

“What?” Our father burst into another coughing fit. This was worse than his first one. It went on for a few minutes and he used a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his mouth away.

“We’ll continue this conversation another time,” Raven ushered me out with her.

“Welcome home, my children.” he coughed as we exited the room.

“Why did you stop me?” I asked her once we were alone.

“He’s dying.” She pleaded, “Give him a couple days to think all his plans are coming to fruition, humor him long enough and you may not even need to tell him anything.”

“The tribe as a whole will still have to find out at some point.” I said.

“We’ll deal with that when the time comes, please just give it a couple days.” Her eyes were teary again, but I wasn’t sure if they were genuine.

“A few days.” I figured it was the least I could do.

I tried to tell Summer and Tai but I had no signal. 

Then a few days became, “Just a week.”

Raven and I stayed in the hideout with the old bird. We didn’t go on any raids with them. I had lost my taste for thieving and even though she would never admit it, I don’t think Raven had the strength for it yet. Having a dying father made a convenient excuse for both of us as they days went by.

“Just another week.”

Our father got weaker, he at less and he coughed more, but we did talk with him. We spent our days telling him of Beacon and our missions, but I noticed Raven only referred to Tai as her ‘teammate’. She talked about it like it was another world, another life that wasn’t her own.

“Just a little longer.”  
He just wouldn’t die. He was just going to hang on to the edge of life for all eternity, and I had already spent a month away from my fiance, my best friend and my niece. No contact with them was what was killing me. Summer could think I was dead for all I knew, or worse Summer could be dead and I had no way of knowing, no way of getting to her if she needed me. I had it, even if Raven just wanted to forget everything about Vale.

One day I just couldn’t take it anymore. We were sat on either side of our father’s sickbed, listening to him talk about one of his bigger raids in his youth when I just couldn’t go another minute.

“I’m going back to Vale. I am not going to return to the Branwens.” I sat up.

“What? Why the hell not?” He rounded on me, his raiding story instantly forgotten..

“I have a life in Vale, one I am not prepared to give up.” I said.

I expected him to react badly, I expected anger. I did not expect him to bludgeon me with the Chieftain mask. He grabbed it and swung so hard he knocked me from my chair.

“What is the meaning of this, boy?” He asked, “What is so important that you would betray your own tribe?”

“My future wife.” I touched my hand to my mouth where the mask had struck me and wiped away the blood that sprouted from my lip.

“There are plenty of women in Mistral, can you not marry one of them or bring her here?” He demanded.

“You’re lucky, you’re my father, old man.” I said as I got up.

“No, you’re lucky I’m bedridden, you little piece of shit.” He paused to cough, “Now explain yourself!”

“Well for one thing, maybe it’s because you talk to me like that,” I looked him right in the eye, “I am a Huntsman and I love being a Huntsman and I love my partner.” 

“I knew that green man was trouble.” My father narrowed his gaze.

“She’s not all I have waiting for me in Vale.” 

Raven jumped out of her chair, her fists clenched as she stared me down. Our father looked between us, confused. I met her gaze as I spoke, “I have a home, and friends and prospects. I have a family there.”

I saw Raven’s eyes swell with gratitude, but I wasn’t interested in it. As far as I was concerned, her betrayal was worse than mine.

“Well then you have none here.”

Bang!

I was knocked back in the air and then against the floor. Then my vision was all black and an awful ringing exploded in my ears. I screamed until it stopped and when I saw the ceiling reappear, I got back up onto my knees, my body felt as if it weighed twice as much. I looked up at them. Raven’s eyes were wide in shock, our father leaned forward, his hand glowing black.

“What did you do to me, old man?” I asked as I clutched my head.

“You are not welcome here any longer, Qrow.” he said.

“What did you do to me?” I pushed off the footboard to get to my feet. He was powerful. He could do just about anything with the tribe's magic. He had always been powerful, but I had never known him to be this cruel.

“I altered your semblance.” His hand stopped glowing, “You are a crow, you have always been able to influence the fates of those around you, from here on out though, your semblance will bring only destruction.”

“Take it back!” I gripped the footboard in anger so hard it cracked, “Why would you do that to your own son?”

“Until you see the error of your ways, you are no son of mine!” His eyes met mine, glowing bright Branwen red with anger.

“If that’s how it’s going to be, I am done with your superstitious bullshit. I’m going home.” I jumped and transformed. I flew out the door and for the village gates as fast as I could. 

I heard a squawk behind me and thought at first the old man had really dragged himself out of his deathbed to chase me down, but then I realized it was only Raven.

I rolled back into a man at the gates. Raven transformed just inside the village. She held our father’s mask.

“You’re not coming with me, are you?” I asked.

“No, not yet.” she said.

“So that’s never then.” I grumbled.

“Thank you, for not telling him about Tai and Yang.” she said.

“Oh man, do I want to, but that’s your own battle. I fought mine,” I wiped my still bleeding mouth, “I am actually not sure if I won it.”

“Just come back, just for awhile, he’s not going to live very long.” She pleaded.

“That’s what you said a month ago.” I looked up at the sky, “You know he’s always been awful to me. I was never the heir he wanted. It’s better that I leave, but it would be best if you would come with me.” 

“You know that I can’t.” 

“What you can’t do is you can’t just pretend that you don’t have a husband or a daughter.” I glared at her.

“I’m not,” she huffed, “I’m only doing this because I have no other choice.”

“I’m not taking the old bird’s shit anymore. Call me when you make the same decision.”

“Goodbye, Qrow.”


	10. Wounds and Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Silver-eyed warriors were the strongest of all . . .

I wish I could say that the moment I landed in Patch, it was like the weight on my heart was lifted away. For a moment, I landed at the end of our drive and I saw Summer coaxing out flowers in the garden with her semblance, it was. She was beautiful, she was mine and it was perfect. Then I saw Tai in the doorway. I had failed him, and the weight was back.

I shifted and walked up to Summer. I was planning on giving her a suave “Hello, my Rose.” but when she saw me she jumped up and threw her arms around me and there went that. Not that I’m complaining. I squeezed her tight and buried my face in her neck, Gods I had missed the smell of her. 

“I knew you would come back,” she said as we pulled apart, “But where’s Raven?”

I sighed and shook my head. I heard a rustling and looked up to see Tai approaching, his eyes watery. It was time for a talk. Raven may want to live a double life but it was time the two halves of mine came together. 

The three of us sat in the living room. I wolfed down some food and leaned back to digest as we talked. Summer sat by my side and Tai across from us on the loveseat, baby Yang asleep in a basket. I talked for what felt like hours, telling them everything I had promised my father not to as a child. When I finished, Summer squeezed my hand tight, Tai looked ready to throw something.

“So, if I have this straight, you’re telling me that as a Huntsman, I might have to face my own wife as a criminal one day?” 

“Don’t take any missions in Mistral.”

“Dammit, Qrow!” he stood up.

“It’s not like I chose the family I was born into, Tai.” I said.

“No, but you could have told us. I understand why you didn’t tell us when we were at Beacon at first, but you could have told us something before we moved to Patch.” 

I jumped up, “You act like it’s so easy. I didn’t have your happy family, Tai. I had combat lessons and quotas or no dinner.” 

“Hey!” Summer jumped between us just as Yang started to cry. Tai and I calmed down and Summer picked up Yang to rock her. She hugged her tight and offered her to Tai, “Your turn to change her.”

“I know,” Tai took Yang from her with a smile and Summer gave him a thumbs up, “I’ll get the hang of this eventually.” 

I sank back into the couch and caught my reflection in the mirror we had hanging on the wall. My eyes were duller, they were not the bright red I had come to expect. I was different. I held my head in my hands.

 

Your semblance will bring only destruction. . . I heard my father’s words echo in my head again.

 

Summer sat back down, about a foot of space between us on the couch, but it felt far wider, “You still seem distant, did something else happen with Raven?” 

“Just usual familial disagreements.” I said. I reached for her and she hesitated a moment before climbing into my lap. That hurt. “So Tai is staying with us?”

“I tried to get him to go home a week after you left, but whenever he goes back to their house he drinks and neglects Yang. It’s as if he’s forgotten how to be an adult. Since Raven’s not coming back, I don’t expect him to get any better.” She leaned into my neck.

“I suppose it’s the least that we can do. It’s not Yang’s fault her parents suck at parenting.” I said, “And she is my niece. Just call me Uncle Qrow.”

Summer laughed, “It suits you, although I don’t think you’d want me to call you that.” She reached around her head and pulled off my pendant. She draped it over me and adjusted how it hung on my neck, “I was so worried.”

“I know.” I said, “I was worried about you too, that’s why I rushed home, as soon as I could.”

“What happened to your mother?” Summer turned the pendant in her hands, “You’ve mentioned your father only begrudgingly, and your mother a few times. I noticed she was missing from your visit home story.”

“She died when Raven and I were very young. It was on a raid, and we were too little to go so I don’t know what actually happened to her. All I know is that her belongings were divided amongst the tribe, as we do when someone dies, and I liked this pendant, so it became mine.” I ruffled her dark red hair, “I go after what I want.”

“It was a long month without you.” She kissed me. 

It was so good to have her in my arms again. I leaned into her and she let her hands travel up my shirt just as Tai came running back into the room, newly changed Yang held high in the air.

“Summer, I did it! Oh, oops, sorry guys,” he stopped when he saw us, “Guess I’ll have to break out those old knock signals from our Beacon days.”  
I rolled my eyes at him as Summer climbed off me and searched for something to fling at him, “Summer, our house needs throw pillows so I can throw them at him.” 

“Not while I have a baby,” Tai held Yang as if she were a shield, and then extended the kicking baby towards me, “Yang, meet your uncle, he hasn’t been here for much of the time you have, so you should get acquainted.”

I took her from him and cradled her in my arms for the second time in her young life, “Hi Yang.”

She stared at me, unblinking and I rocked her slowly. She already had a full head of fluffy blonde hair. She was the spitting image of Raven, albeit a bit cuddlier and rounder. I didn’t have the Branwens anymore but I still had a tribe. 

I played with her all evening. Summer gave both me and Tai a cooking lesson. Since I had Yang I only had to watch rather than participate. In the end it was fairly edible, but Tai was still despondent. A few hours later when I passed Yang back to him, he held her in one arm and clapped me on the shoulder.

“She’s not coming back, Tai.”

“I know.” 

I went up to bed, finally for some alone time with Summer, but as soon as I flopped onto the mattress, Summer’s scroll went off. She rolled over to grab it and leaned against me as she read the messages. She passed the scroll to me, her face dark.

“Ozpin has more work for us.” 

I sighed and pulled her close. “I just can’t catch a break.” 

Not many people know this, but there are places in the wilds, outside the inhabited areas of the continents known as Scars. They are areas of land burned so badly by the dark forces that inhabit them that only Grimm and dust grow there. Not even the Schnees are crazy or greedy enough to go after that dust. They are usually blocked off by huge human made barricades that don’t really keep anything from getting out but are meant to deter foolish humans from getting inside. Areas like this are one of the ways more creatures of Grimm find their ways into our world, almost nests if you will, and Ozpin wanted to send Summer straight into one.

“She is not going alone.” I said on a conference call to Ozpin the next morning, “Those places are on a whole other level of dangerous.”

“So is your fiance,” Ozpin said.

“So why not send in extra back up” I asked.

“I could use another pair of eyes, ones that can see far longer distances than mine.” Summer said.

“I suppose it can’t do too much damage, but Qrow you must understand that I have work for you as well.” Ozpin said.

“And I will complete it after I help Summer.” I said.

“Very well. I’ll send you the coordinates of the Scar.” Ozpin hung up.

“We haven’t even been able to set a wedding date,” I sigh.

“Sometimes saving the world can’t wait, Qrow.” Summer touched my face. 

Her scroll beeped and she checked Ozpin’s message, “I see why he wanted me to go so soon. This Scar is on the southern end of Sanus and he’s afraid of it growing stronger.”

“So we go there and you what? Look at it?” 

“Essentially, yes.” Summer smiled, but of course nothing was ever that easy with us. 

We left Tai in charge of the house. I wasn’t sure how well that was going to go, we cleaned out all the liquor, which I was not at all happy about. Summer left him with some simple recipes and we made sure he had a full supply of Yang’s formula before we set out. I gave him Oz’s number too, in case the Scar proved to have poor signal, he could deal with our family problems since he was the one taking us away from home.

The first leg of the journey wasn’t bad. Ozpin had an airship take us across the mountains of Sanus, but it would go no further. That meant Summer and I had to walk through the valleys to the Scar. We were on the southernmost peninsula of Sanus, southwest of Vale but not yet across Vacuo’s borders. 

I walked with my scythe ready and Summer kept her eyes at a dull eerie glow. The very fact that she walked ahead of me seemed to deter Grimm from coming towards us, I picked off more with my shotgun than my blade. When we stopped for the nights, Summer showed no signs of unusual fatigue, Eirian had made her stronger.

“Are you afraid of me like this?” She looked up at me across the campfire, her eyes glowing.

“Have you ever been afraid of me when I turned into a bird?” I asked.

“The first time was startling, and the bits of down in the room whenever you and Raven had a fight were a little annoying, but I’ve gotten used to it.” Summer admitted. 

“Then that’s just what I have to do.” I shrugged and sipped from one of our canteens and passed it to her.

She took it from me and just stared at it, “This is different though, and you’re different ever since you came back from Mistral, do you even realize it?”

“I’ve been trying to ignore it.” I admitted.

“Something else did happen with your family then?” 

“Well--”

Before I could explain to Summer, the water in the canteen shook. Then the ground rumbled. One of our logs fell from the campfire. The trees started shaking and another tremor swept through the ground. Summer and I looked at each other and looked down the trail in the direction of the Scar. The sky above the hills was burning red against the black of night.

“Something’s happening,” Summer struggled to her feet as the ground wobbled again.

I stabbed my scythe into the ground and braced myself against it as the tremors grew stronger, “I see why Ozpin wanted us here fast.” 

“Fly ahead, I’ll catch up.” Summer drew her spear.

“I don’t want to leave you when even the ground is fighting us.” I said as rocks bounced along the trail.

“Qrow, stop trying to protect me and let’s do the job we came here for.” her eyes started to pulse with their silvery glow as she glared at me.

I folded up my scythe, “Fine.” 

Once I took to the air I thought the tremors would stop affecting me, but even the winds in the sky seemed to wobble unnaturally as I pressed through them. I came upon the barricade, centuries old stone it was collapsing and glowing like hot coals. The ground around it was burning. The Scar was now an open wound.

I flew over the fire and the sights beyond it nearly made me drop out of the sky. These pools of darkness so black they looked like holes of nothingness dotted across the land, and though we were fairly close to the ocean the air smelled of sulfur not salt. On rocks surrounding these pools of blackness, large black dust crystals rose out of the ground, they pulsed in shadow with each tremor of the ground. 

There were Beowolves and Ursai crawling from the pools of nothingness and with every pulse more and more seemed to come forth. The more I stared as I flew, the more kinds of Grimm crawled out. I knew that Scars were supposed to spit out Grimm frequently but this was as if someone or something had called them all out at once. 

I landed on one of the looming red cliffs and shifted back to my human form. Just standing there made me feel sick. I drew my scythe and stared at the growing crowds of Grimm below. I didn’t know if Summer’s eyes could kill this many at once, but she had asked me to stop doubting her, so I would wait. Though as the tremors grew worse, my fear grew with them and the Grimm grew more and more with every moment. Goliaths, Beringals, the big stuff. They were coming closer to my perch. I transformed again and took off down the trail. 

Summer wasn’t far away but there were many Grimm between her and the Scar, and I knew she would need all her energy to destroy the Scar so I followed the glow of her eyes, killing the Grimm that escaped the Scar as I went, until at last I found her shoving her spear through a Nevermore’s eye. 

“What’s it like?” she asked.

“Like hell.” I said, “We’ve got to hurry, something jumpstarted the Grimm breeding and their popping out left and right.” 

A Creep reared its ugly head behind Summer and I killed it with my shotgun. Summer sighed and lowered her spear, her eyes began to glow steadily. “Help me clear the way there.”

“Yes ma’am.” I transformed my scythe and lead the way.

Summer might be a Silver eyed warrior, one of the strongest people to walk through Remnant, but she was not alone. I was her Reaper. I cut down the obstacles in front of us and followed her every step of the way, even unto the crumbling gates of hell. 

When Summer saw the barricade collapsing and the ground burning, I was faced with the obstacle of her having legs and no optional wings. Luckily, I was still pretty quick on mine. I folded up my scythe and leapt onto the nearest cliff. 

“Hurry, follow after me.” Just as soon as I said it, Summer jumped up beside me. The ground beneath us was increasingly unstable. We barely made the jump to a higher rock across the barrier and then, inches from the Scar’s ground, I shoved Summer forward just as the ground collapsed underneath us both. I started to fall with the rocks, and prepared to shift, but Summer caught me just on the edge.  
She pulled me out and a Goliath charged straight for us. 

I still had Summer’s hand when her eyes flashed into light. Without it I probably would have fallen back into the pit behind me. Her feet actually rose from the ground, the hand I held radiated warmth into mine. This was the brightest I had ever seen her burn, brighter than Eirian, as bright as the sun after waking up from a nap at noon. 

I shielded my eyes with my other hand and braced myself as the sounds of Grimm dying echoed around us. The wind beat against the ground with the force of a windstorm. The ground stopped shaking. 

Warmth poured from Summer as her light faded, it almost burned me to hold onto her hand. She sank back onto the ground and she didn’t even stumble, but her hand was shaking. I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the night again. The pits of darkness and the hungry flames were gone. The land was far from a blooming paradise, but it wasn’t the gaping hole of existence it had been. It was empty. There was not a Grimm in sight.

I pulled Summer, still stunned into my arms. 

She was incredibly strong, and little did we know, she had just painted a big target on our backs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been spelling Beowolf as Beowulf this whole time and only realized my mistake checking the RWBY wiki last night XD Sorry not sorry for confusing it with an Old English Epic.  
> "I've seen the things she's made and they are fear" thanks Qrow for that very descriptive line as to what on earth you might have encountered opposing Salem over the years. Well, we still don't know a lot so this was one of my guesses about what Salem's lair might be, what Summer did to stop her, and I hope you enjoyed it. There's plenty more planned and on the way.


	11. Bird Bones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just what kind of work did Ozpin have Qrow doing all those years?

Yang was growing like a weed when we got back to Patch. When we opened the door to the house she was crawling around the living room floor, playing with blocks. Tai and Ozpin were nearby, seated at our dining room table. Tai stood up when he saw us, Ozpin took a moment to get to his feet with his cane.

“I’m so glad you guys made it back, what did you do?” Tai asked.

“Oh you’re so big,” Still the blonde image of Raven, I scooped up baby Yang and walked into the dining room.

Summer flopped on the couch, “We destroyed a lot of Grimm.”

She looked none too happy with Ozpin and I wasn’t either. 

I held Yang in one arm and clasped Tai’s hand, “Good to see you man.”

I passed him his baby and turned to the old man, “Forgive me, but Summer and I are a little exhausted from the last mission you sent us on.”

“I know, as can only be expected. That’s why it pains me so much to have more work for you,” Ozpin leaned on his cane.

“I just destroyed one Grimm nest,” Summer ran her fingers through her hair, “I don’t know if I’m ready for another one.” 

“I understand, Summer, that’s why I was referring to Qrow.” Ozpin said. 

“Oh really?” I asked.

“We’re still not done talking about this job,” Summer cut him off and came to stand beside me, “Something happened when we were on our way to the Scar. It was like it became active, or freakishly active.”

“Then it’s as I feared.” Ozpin bowed his head, “Someone is building an army with the intentions of nothing less than destroying all of Remnant.”

You could have heard a feather drop in the room we grew so quiet.

“Her name is Salem, and I have spent my whole life working to see her meet her end.” Ozpin clenched his fist.

“Who is she?” Tai asked.

“You might call her the Queen of the Grimm.” Ozpin said, “She’s not exactly a Grimm herself but. . . it’s complicated.”

“She made them spawn like that?” Summer asked.

“She commands them.” Ozpin sighed, “This is why I come to brave Huntsmen and Huntresses like you, I could use all the help I can get in this crusade, though bear in mind that the information which to which I am making you privy is not known by more than a handful across Remnant, and your utmost discretion is needed. We do not want to cause panic throughout the world, that would only double our enemies and bring monsters to our borders That is why I hope I can trust you and continue to assign work to the three of you.”

We nodded slowly.

Ozpin smiled, “Good. The things I ask of you will not be easy, they will be far across the world and some will take quite a long time, but even in the face of danger such as this, there are things to be taken care of that are far more important.”

He patted Yang’s head when he finished speaking. Tai went to put her down in her crib and Qrow turned back to Summer and I.

“Qrow, your ability to turn into a bird, gives you a unique opportunity to monitor those potentially plotting nefarious activity. I would like you to use it.” Ozpin adjusted his glasses.

“How so?”

“Your sister isn’t the only criminal in Mistral. There’s someone in particular who I would like you to watch.” 

“So you know about Raven, eh?” I asked, “Who is it?”

“A certain professor at Haven Academy.” Ozpin put his scroll on the table and a picture of this tall man in a finely tailored suit appeared, “I believe he is working for Salem.”

“I’ll see what I can see.” 

I left for Ozpin’s mission two weeks later and so began the war of attrition. I followed this old man around for a solid five weeks watching him do nothing but read, lecture, and sleep. He had no life outside of work, until one night he didn’t go home from Haven. The old professor remained in Haven almost until dark, writing at his desk. I figured he just had some new project to teach his students, so I lounged about on the roof waiting for him. Finally, at dusk, he left the school from a different exit, and went off alone, looking behind him as he went. I changed into a bird and took off behind him.

I followed him and his big mustache almost to the edge of the city, he diverted off into a little park, and started walking casually, with his hands clasped. I should have sent word to Ozpin right there and then that he was up to something, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to follow him a bit farther. I swooped a bit lower so I could get a good look at whatever he was planning to do. He stopped by this old fountain in the park, no one else was around. I looked for a lampost to perch on, and having spotted one, dove lower with a caw. 

Then it was like a switch flipped inside the old man. He turned with a flourish of his coat and pointed a cane straight at me. It’s end opened to reveal a barrel and an electrically charge bullet shot straight at me. I was so stunned I didn’t move fast enough, the bullet caught my left wing and sent me careening down to the ground, still as a bird. 

It hurt so bad I screamed but my bird vocal chords wouldn’t do it justice. I saw the professor coming towards me, cane still pointed at me and I resisted the urge to shift back. He stood over the pathetic bleeding bird that I was and looked mildly disappointed. He poked his cane into the wound in my wing and I cried out again. 

He frowned, dissatisfied with my frantic cawing and pulled the cane back, taking bits of feather and my blood with it. He turned and took off at a full sprint and I thanked the stars. 

I couldn’t take it anymore, I shifted back into a man and the pain exploded, a thousand times worse, "Damn bird anatomy."  
My left arm was a complete mess, I couldn’t even look at it for more than a second. All I saw were ribbons of flesh and blood soaking my shirt, and I was bleeding even worse. I just had time to start a call to Ozpin for help before I saw nothing

I saw blackness, all consuming darkness and silhouettes. I heard rapids sounds, and shrieks that may or may not have been my own and then I heard nothing.

I saw red, the red of Branwen eyes, the red of Scar burned land, and the red of blood. It was dripping. 

I saw white in the darkness, summer’s hood, but her hands were cold on my face, and she was crying. 

Then I saw yellow, the light of the sun, drifting through windows. I saw the curtains blowing in the wind and realized I was home at Patch.  
For a moment I had forgotten everything that happened, then I tried to sit up and I just couldn’t take my left arm with me, the pain stopped me from moving another inch. I laid back and saw the huge bandage wrapped around my arm. It protruded several inches thick at my shoulder and I couldn’t even see my own arm, the gauze wrapped clear down to my wrists. I wiggled my fingers experimentally and they moved, albeit painfully.

“You’re awake!” Almost as soon as I heard her, I saw the wave of Summer’s cape tumbling over me, and she pounced on my chest, hugging me tight. She had fallen asleep in a chair to the right of my bed.

“Geez, watch the arm,” I grimaced but I was so happy to see her. She shook as she hugged me, and when she finally raised her head to look at me, she was smiling and weeping.

“I’m so glad you’re awake, and you’re home.”

I touched her face with my good hand, “Me too, what happened to me?”

“I was hoping you could tell me. Ozpin got your distress call and his contacts in Mistral found you torn up in a park.” Summer climbed in bed on my right side, arms curled around me.

“Yeah, that bastard. The professor I was following either found me out, or is completely psychotic, no respect for animals. I was following him as a bird and he just decided to pick off like a clay pigeon. With an electric round too.” I flinched and my arm ached as I remembered the shot.

“That’s why it’s so bad then,” I caught Summer looking at the huge bandage.

“How bad is it?” I asked. I could move my hand but I dared not move my elbow or shoulder. 

She hesitated, her eyes searching mine. I sighed, “Summer, be honest with me.”

“Not as bad as it could have been, he missed the brachial artery, but the bullet did crack your bone. And the electric charge did a number on your heart. The paramedics. . .” she choked up as she spoke, “The paramedics weren’t sure you would make it at first, but you hung on, and they operated at a hospital in Haven. They said you weren’t very lucid there for several days, and were in a lot of pain so they induced a coma. After a few weeks they decided to move you. They kept you under to help you cope with the pain, and flew you back here on an airship. You were out of it for two weeks at the Patch hospital, but you already started healing.”

“Branwen blood.” I mused.

“The doctors were amazed and after another week, released you into our care. They said you would keep sleeping for another day or two, but that you should wake up soon.” Summer wiped her eyes, “I was worried about you, you know.”

“I couldn’t tell,” I pushed her hair back from her face, “So I guess I’m supposed to stay in this bed for awhile longer?” 

“Yes, at least another month of bed rest, and I will call the Patch doctors and surgeons to let them know your status.” Summer rattled off all the medicine I was supposed to be taking and all the healthy food I should be eating. Then she smiled at me, “I should go tell Tai you’re up.”

I grabbed hold of her hand, “Not yet, just stay with me a little while longer?”

“Of course.”

She laid beside me until she fell asleep, I kissed her forehead and held her close. I didn’t feel like sleeping. I was just glad to be awake and home. I’d never really had to fear for my life before, and even now I wasn’t afraid to die, not by his hands. If I ever saw that bastard again, I wouldn’t try to hide, I would be sure to slice him in half, nice and slow. Yet I was afraid to die and leave Summer, and I was afraid that I might not be able to fight like I had before. These were worries that I couldn’t dwell on for too long though.

Soon enough, Summer woke, and went to tell all the necessary people that I was awake and squawking and so began a long road to recovery. It was days before I could move my arm, and even that hurt like hell. It was weeks before the huge bandage became a smaller one, and months before I could bend it at the elbow. It was a weird process, waiting to heal. After I was able to get out of bed, I pretty much existed only in our house. Summer and Tai both took frequent missions, sometimes together since I was there to watch Yang. She was a little weed, and it was how I knew the passage of time, watching Yang grow.

Yang was a little over a year old when I started training my arm again. A couple months of hard work later and I was swinging my scythe just like I used to, except for rainy days. Summer didn’t quite believe I had recovered that quickly, so the two of us had a little sparring match in front of our house.

We danced around each other for a good five minutes, Summer still got a few good hits in on me, but in the end she agreed I was almost back to normal. I had to admit, shifting into a crow still made me a little anxious, but now that I had full use of my arm again I had plenty of reasons to stay a man with Summer.

One afternoon when Tai was out with Yang, I swooped in behind her and carried her up to bed. She worried about my arm the whole way up the stairs, but once we were in bed I took all her worries away.

Damn Ozpin, he had to call the next morning.


	12. Solitude in Solitas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow and Ironwood had to cross paths again at some point, but he's not the only familiar face that our feathered friend encounters on top of the world. . .

Mantle was the promised land, the top of the world, but it was a promise that would never come true. As soon as the people of Mantle got off their feet, the Great War struck, and one of its many casualties was their kingdom. In its place, rose Atlas, a pioneer of scientific technology and military mechanization. I was to stay on the continent of Solitas, for five months, not in crow form, but as a man sent to observe the crippling city of Mantle. There wasn’t much left of it now. It was made of the ruins of industry, and far too many workers without jobs, most of them Faunus, and possibly connected to the militant Faunus rights activists in the growing White Fang movement. Ozpin believed they were susceptible to draw Grimm to them, harboring that much negativity, and with the Grimm would come Salem. 

I started on the streets of Mantle, though I didn’t make a very good tourist. I had only just arrived when I was introduced to just how hospitable that frozen hunk of rock could be. I was just strolling along the sidewalk, minding my own business when I heard: 

“Get out of my shop you dirty, scoundrel!” 

“I just wanted to buy something.”

“We don’t serve your kind here.” It was a baker, a large angry baker yelling at cloven footed faunus. She looked normal from the waist up, so he must not have noticed her hooves before she placed her order. The door to his shop was swung wide, he blocked it with his hands on his hips. 

“But I already paid for the muffin.” she complained.

“You’re a rotten liar.” He shook his big meaty hand in her face.

“I just wanted breakfast, give me my muffin or my money,” she pleaded, she grabbed at his hand and he swatted her away and slapped her across the face.

I’d seen enough, “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?” 

“This doesn’t concern you,” the baker spat in my direction.

“Yeah it does.” I pushed my bangs back. was not particularly for or against the Faunus, but given that I turned into a bird myself, I had to sympathize a little bit, especially with someone who just wanted a bite to eat. 

The baker drew out a huge knife, “You want to put your money on that?”

“I want you to give her the money back or the muffin.” 

“I don’t think so!” the baker swung at me, I dodged and grabbed his wrist. In a second his knife was on the ground. 

He swung wide at me with his fist next and I stepped aside so he punched at nothing. This was way too easy. He lunged at me again and once again I sidestepped. He threw himself on the pavement and the faunus started laughing. 

“Shut up you furry bitch!” he shouted and grabbed for the knife. I stepped on his hand and he screamed out, just as two Atlesian knights rounded the corner. 

They came in, automatic guns raised, demanding that we both cease and desist. I stepped away from the baker and we both had to wait there while the robots waited for one of their human superiors to show up. Admittedly I used a bit of my sleight of hand I learned from the tribe to get the guy’s pocket change back to the faunus. She thanked me and bolted, leaving the baker screaming, but the Knights didn’t see anything so he just had to wait there with his hands up in silence. An Atlas specialist came in, found out I was from Vale and I got tossed up the chain of command until I was reclining in a little gray interrogation room, staring at a fairly familiar face.

“Major, you’ve got a little something on your face there.” I pointed to the metal strip above his right eyebrow.

“Qrow Branwen, I’m aware.” James Ironwood entered the little interrogation room they stuffed me in, “And it’s General now.”

“Oh, sorry, haven’t seen you in a long time.” I shrugged.

“I however have been keeping an eye out on you, you’ve been doing a lot of travelling lately, and now you show up in Solitas, causing trouble at a bakery.” Ironwood folded his arms.

“That’s not what happened,” I leaned forward, “He was ripping off this girl.”

“Regardless of the confrontation, I want to know why you’re here.” 

“Am I that important to you, Jimmy?” I raised an eyebrow.

“This is serious, Branwen.” 

“Okay, then here’s a serious answer. Call Ozpin.” 

“What?” He asked.

“Go call him. Maybe, he’ll tell you. Maybe he won’t, but he will tell you to let me go.” I grinned.

“Qrow, if you’re planning something, you’re in serious trouble here. They’re already contemplating charging you for a public disturbance,” Ironwood jabbed his gloved hand at me.

“Call Ozpin.” I maintained.

“Fine.” Ironwood stormed out leaving me to twiddle my thumbs for another twenty minutes.

He returned looking furious, “Alright Qrow, you’re not being charged with anything.” 

“Yes.” I jumped up and pushed in my chair, “I’ll take my scythe back please.”

“Not so fast, you’re not going anywhere just yet.” It was Ironwood’s turn to grin.

“What’s that mean?” 

“Ozpin informed me of some of your . . . assignment. He and I will have a much longer talk about this whole business later, but as I understand it, the nature of your assignment is changing a bit.”

“How so?” 

“You’re coming with me to Atlas. Ozpin thinks the Faunus activists might try something at the birthday party for Jacques Schnee’s youngest daughter.” 

“Great, I get to play diplomat.” 

It went about as well as I hoped, Jimmy proceeded to drag me to Atlas academy, where he was now headmaster. Nevermind, that the Schnees’ big event wasn’t for months, I still had to be there to oversee everything. The only thing they really had for me to do was to read reports about the Faunus activities in the region. The number of workers, the number on Atlas benefits, the number of crimes. All in all it spelled out in detail what we all knew going in: Atlas treated Faunus like shit. 

I would grow tired of dealing with all the red tape quickly and find my way to the Atlas training grounds. Their school was a bit different from Beacon. All their students were also future soldiers. Their dorms were barracks, their teams were squadrons, and their exercises were those of war. One thing was the same though, they all sparred together after classes. 

I admit I was nostalgic for Team STRQ. The four of us, we could have easily bested these kids, even when we were their age. I said as much and this snarky fuchsia haired kid heard me.

“What was that, old man?” he asked.

“Old? Kid, I’m not even twenty five.” I laughed.

“Well I’m not a kid either.” He swung this huge crystal sword down with a dramatic flourish and jutted his chest out.

“No you’re idiots, posturing like warriors.” I approached him. He stared at me as I circled him, “Hasn’t anyone ever told you to keep your feet under your head?”

As soon as I asked I kicked out his ankles and the boy went down. The other students gathered around laughed at him, “Your stance is all wrong, waving that big blade around, you’re too top heavy when you stand like that.”

“What would you know?” He asked, his face the same color as his hair.

“I would know a lot actually.” I shrugged.

“Yeah? Well show me.” He got up and pointed his sword at me.

“Well, if that’s what you really want.” I drew my blade, “Want to dance, carrot top?” 

And we danced. The kid wasn’t half bad. He was all anger and no finesse but there was a determination under all that hotheadedness. I knocked him off his feet again, put my shoe on his sword arm and pointed my blade at his throat. 

He looked up at me in fear and then I sighed. I switched the blade to my other hand and I extended my hand to him, “Let’s try that again.”  
I helped him up and we fought again. He did a bit better, I still got him cornered, but I told him it was an improvement. He actually shook my hand. Then of course, the other students wanted to spar too. 

Three matches later, I was actually getting tired, especially my left arm, when good old Ironwood showed up.

“Qrow! I’ve been looking for you everywhere. We need to talk.” 

“What a coincidence, Jimmy, I’ve been avoiding you everywhere.” I sighed as he stormed down to the training grounds

“It’s General or James.” Ironwood snapped, “Now I need you to come with me.”

“Catchya later, kids,” I waved the students off and started towards him. I saw him looking at me with a strange expression, “What, General?”

“I saw some of that, Qrow.” He rubbed his chin, “Has anyone ever told you that you would make a good teacher?”

I laughed, “Maybe one day.” 

One day after I finished Ozpin’s work and Summer and I finally settled down, I’d embrace the quiet life, maybe get a job with Tai. It wouldn’t be bad at all, but of course, nothing ever goes according to plan. 

The party for Weiss Schnee drew closer, and I started to worry as I heard from Summer less and less. Ozpin was sending her on missions without me, and though I was the one with the bad track record of missions going wrong, I couldn’t help it. 

As such, I spent the first couple hours of Weiss Schnee’s birthday ball - who throws a ball for an infant anyway? - lurking on a balcony in Jacques Schnee’s ballroom, rolling a glass of bourbon between my palms.

“The party is down there.” I thought it would be Jimmy who would criticize me, but it was the voice of a kid, a girl. 

I turned and saw a young teenager, a white haired girl in a pale blue gown who looked barely big enough for those thin silver heels of hers. So Winter Schnee was growing up. She held her hands clasped behind her back like a soldier and smiled at me as she came to stand beside me.

“I’m not the biggest fan of parties, or the man hosting this one.” I sighed.

“That makes two of us.” she sighed in turn. 

“Shouldn’t there be more kids at a kid’s birthday party?” I scanned the dance floor. Aside from Winter and the little white bundle Mrs. Schnee held, everyone was well into adulthood, and well into money. I noted there wasn’t a single faunus to be seen, though that didn’t mean that they weren’t there. 

“It’s not really for her. It’s for him.” she sighed and I noticed she eyed my bourbon, “The Schnee family must look its best at all times. Spinning around, impeccable appearances, nothing ever out of place.”

“Yeah, it sucks.” I downed the rest of my glass.

“You know what would really anger him?” Winter turned to me.

“What?” 

“If a huntsman asked me to dance.” 

“Heh, you’re suave, kid.” I set my glass on a nearby waiter’s tray, “One waltz couldn’t hurt.”

I offered her my good arm and we walked down to the dance floor. I half wondered if she actually expected me to know how to dance. I mentally thanked Summer for the lessons she gave me when we were younger, and then of course, I started missing her horribly, and I couldn’t hide it from my young partner.

“Not all Schnees are bad, you know,” Winter said several turns into the waltz later, “I don’t intend to be like my father.”

“He’s admittedly not a very nice man,” I watched him greeting guests out of the corner of my eye, he had his hand just a little too possessively around his wife.

“I remembered you.” Winter said, “I remembered you as soon as I saw your cape. They put you in a fancier shirt and tie, but I remember that cape.”

“Huh?”

“You saved me and my father once,” Winter stared up at me.

“On the train through Sanus, I remember.” I half grinned at that.

“Is it someone from your team?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“The person who you’re missing so much,” her eyes were sad as she spoke.

“Ye-” I was just about to reply to her when out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of movement, and I turned to see a rabbit tail tucked hastily under a waiter’s shirt, “Just a moment, Winter.” 

I did the best bow I could and walked away from her. I made eye contact with Ironwood across the room and nodded. He stepped away from the woman he was dancing with and the two of us met to talk. I pointed out the faunus waiter and Ironwood considered him. He could have just as easily been hiding his identity to keep a job, but he was worth keeping an eye on - then I saw him.

The professor who shot me. I clenched my fists and my arm burned as if he had just attacked me. He was wearing a fancy waistcoat and tie but I recognized his cane. I moved without hesitation towards him, only for Ironwood to press his hand against my chest and stop me.

“Qrow, you look like you’re about to murder someone.” 

“I am, Jimmy, now move.” I stared him down, all smiles and laughter, twirling a champagne flute between his fingers as he talked with the faunus waiter. Then he glanced my way, and though he never saw me as a man he must have seen the anger in my eyes. He knew that I knew he was up to something.

“That professor’s involved in something criminal.” I said. Ironwood turned to two Atlesian knights he had with him, and as soon as he did the professor took off running in one direction and the faunus waiter in another. Ironwood ran after the waiter who lunged directly at Jacques Schnee. 

You can bet I followed the professor. He pointed his cane gun at Mrs. and Weiss Schnee, but I was not about to let him hurt anyone else, especially not a baby. I didn’t have my scythe because it was a party, but I wound up and punched him square in the eye. I grabbed the weapon from him and it went off pointed at the ground. It blew a fist sized hole in the shiny Schnee dance floor, but I had the weapon. The guests started to run for the exits. I beat him over the head with it until he went down. I kept swinging at him even as he cowered on the tile. Only an Atlas soldier pulling me off him, stopped me from hitting him even more.

"He must be alive for trial." He soldier pushed me away with metal armored hands.

"He can be alive and be missing a few limbs." I muttered, but nonetheless, I passed the cane to the soldier and looked across the floor. Ironwood had the waiter in handcuffs, and the knights had both perpetrators surrounded and security was swarming the ball to search for more. I stepped away from them, out onto one of the balconies, my scroll in my hand.

I wrote to her: I miss you, Summer. . I waited for her reply, soaking up the cool night air of Atlas. I heard the fearful guests and the clank of the soldiers marching, robotic and human. I just wanted to hear the sounds of Patch.

“You saved my family twice now,” I turned to see Winter approaching the balcony, “And I still don’t know you’re name.”

“Qrow Branwen, are you the one who destroyed my dance floor?” Jacques Schnee stormed onto the balcony, mustache twitching as he came.

“Would you prefer I let that maniac shoot your wife?” I whirled on him.

“Why I-”

“Gentlemen!” Ironwood shouted so loud the whole balcony seemed to shake.

Schnee stopped in his tracks, his beady little eyes glaring at me. I stared him down, until Ironwood coaxed him back inside.

Just when I thought I couldn’t take anymore surprises, I got Summer’s reply:

I was hoping to tell you in person, but I just couldn’t wait any longer, Qrow. I’m pregnant! I miss you too, and I hope you can come home soon, I want you to be here to meet her.

 

I was out of Solitas in a heartbeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of Qrow and Ironwood's dialogue originated here: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/528328600021350627/


	13. Luck in Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow's semblance brings misfortune to the people he cares about and he cares about Summer a lot . . .

I flew back to Patch as soon as I could. I forced myself to take an airship from Solitas, but as soon as we landed on the island, I took off for the house. I shifted back on the front steps and flung open the door, only to find the living room empty. I searched the kitchen, the three upstairs rooms and the bathroom but there was no sign of anyone. 

Finally, I heard noise downstairs and rand down to see Tai returning with toddling Yang and an armful of groceries, “Oh, welcome back, Qrow.” 

“Where’s Summer?” I asked frantically. Oblivious to my concern, Yang waddled up to hug me.

“Oh she won’t be back until tomorrow morning.” Tai carried the groceries into the kitchen

“Tomorrow? Well where is she?” 

“She went on a mission in northern Sanus.” Tai shrugged.

I patted Yang’s head and stormed into the kitchen after him, “Wait what? She’s pregnant and she’s going on missions?”

“Light ones, only a day or two at a time.” Tai said.

“Are you serious?” I ran my hands through my hair, “How could you let her do that?”

“Pfft, you think I could stop her? You don’t see it because she almost always agrees with you, but she’s about as stubborn as you are.” Tai grinned as he unloaded the bags on the counter, “Welcome to what I’ve been dealing with for the past five months. Ever since she found out she was pregnant, she’s been impossible to talk to.”

I sank into a kitchen chair, “I’m going to be a dad, Tai.”

“Scary, isn’t it?” He smirked. Yang waddled over to him and he picked her up, “It’s all worth it though.”

“Heh.” I needed a drink, and to buy Summer some flowers. Since she was crazy enough to be on a mission, I had time to do that. 

I was up waiting for her the next day, she returned bright and early as Tai promised. She opened the door and smiled when she saw me. Then she pushed her cape aside and I saw she was no longer wearing her usual black corset. Under the fabric of her dress, her belly was swollen and circular and she was beautiful. 

I hugged her tight, mindful of her belly and as soon as I reached down to touch it, the baby jolted within her stomach. She giggled and put her hands on her stomach.

“She recognizes her father,” Summer smiled at me as she took the flowers I'd brought for her, red roses.

“It’s definitely a she?” I asked as we sank onto the couch.

“Definitely, the doctors told me last week.” 

I sighed, “So what did the doctor say about you taking on missions?”

“Probably about the same thing you said when Tai told you,” she rolled her eyes.

“Why are you risking your life and the life of our child?” I asked.

“Well, put simply, honey,” Summer sighed, “It’s our job. It’s our job to risk our lives all the time, now don’t look at me like that. I haven’t been totally stupid about this. I spent my first trimester too sick to do much of anything, and the missions I have taken have been low risk, and a day or two at most. I’m six months pregnant, I’ll rest awhile and probably only take one more mission before our baby comes.”

“I hear you, but have you heard of maternity leave?” I asked, “It’s a great concept.”

“Don’t patronize me, Qrow.” she sat up and braced her hand against her back as she stared me down, “You’re jumping in late with this, if we’re going to raise this baby together, then we have to work together, trust each other and respect each other. So I’m asking you to respect my decision to keep working as a Huntress awhile longer.” 

I sighed, “I will do my best.”

That was much easier said than done. Up until a few days before, I had no idea that I was going to be expecting a tiny human that was half me to appear soon, and as such I was unprepared to help Summer prepare anything. Thankfully, as always Summer was on top of everything. She had huge lists of names picked out, was stockpiling diapers and had saved all of Yang’s onesies that she no longer fit. For a few days I went through it all with her, bit by bit, savoring every moment.

But not all was well. 

Every night when Summer and I laid in bed to sleep, I’d hold her close and try to drift off like I had every night by her side before, but something was different now. I kept thinking about the child we had created. There was a good chance she would have Summer’s silver eyes, that would mean she would have her powers. But what if she had red Branwen eyes? I honestly didn’t know which outcome I feared the most. At least Summer would know how to train her to use her eyes, but they would no doubt put her in more danger. If she had my eyes, I could teach her. But what if my father or Raven tried to claim her as a Branwen? I would never surrender her to the tribe, but I didn’t look forward to killing them all. What if she had my semblance? 

 

Your semblance will bring only destruction . . . . 

 

I tried and tried to get my father’s words from my head, and though I didn’t want to, I started to wonder how many of the events over the past few months could have been caused by my semblance - or by me. Was I a danger to my own family? Could my presence be putting them in danger? I couldn’t afford to worry about that, I had to worry about baby mobiles and middle names and what we would tell Summer’s parents and when we would finally get married. In the end I slept very little and worried a whole lot. 

I was almost expecting it then, when a few days later Summer announced her intention to take up one more mission.

“Just one more,” she said it over breakfast.

I lowered my coffee and stared at her, “Well, what mission is it?” I steeled myself for the worst, blowing up Grimm nests, arresting pirates, toppling small crime bosses, I had no idea what to expect.

“Nothing too strenuous, just helping a village in Vale with a slight menace.” Summer shrugged.

“By menace, you mean Grimm don’tcha?” I asked.

“Just Beowolves.” Summer took out her scroll, “Come on, if we leave now we could be back by tonight.”

“We?” I said surprised.

“Well I figured you wouldn’t let me go alone,” Summer smiled.

“You figured right.” 

 

Destruction . . .

 

We took an airship to Vale, even right to the village. It was a little town called Coriander, it had just popped up south of the main kingdom. As usual, the fledgling days of settlements outside the traditional kingdom borders were subject to frequent raids from local Grimm populations, this town was no exception. As a result they offered a reward to any huntsman or huntress willing to help thin the native Grimm. We landed just outside the village where the mayor greeted us. 

A stout woman with ash gray hair, she waved as we disembarked, “I’m so glad you could come to help.”

“Glad to help.” Summer shook her hand.

The mayor stared at her stomach, “Are you sure you’re alright for this?”

“Easy,” Summer promised.

Of course it wasn’t.

Now normally, a whole pack of Beowolves isn’t any trouble for a fully trained huntsmen, and at Summer’s current levels of using her eyes, I wasn’t even sure we would have to fight if she decided to use them. Now Vale was known for it’s large numbers of Beowolves, but even though there were quite a few of them popping up, Summer stood back and let me take out most of them. She got the stragglers with her semblance, and I thought culling the pack was going pretty well, until midway through the battle I heard a terrible screech.

I looked to the sky expecting a Nevermore, but instead I saw that we had attracted two Griffons. Now Nevermores are not my favorite things in the sky, but they are a hell of a lot easier to kill than Griffons. These creatures were not particularly common in Vale, but we must have had just the right amount of bad luck. One swooped in for me and one went for Summer. 

I stood ready and cleaved it in half, leaping into the air and pushing myself even higher as I jumped from its falling body. As the dust from my Griffon cleared, my heart sank in my chest, the other Griffon slipped right through Summer’s vines. It dove on her, Summer raised her spear to block it’s talons. I called out to her as I ran towards her. She looked my way and her eyes pulsed silver as she smiled at me, but then the Griffon pumped it’s wings and drove her back into the trunk of a tree. She hit her head against the tree and started to go down.

I screamed and leapt for the Griffon. In my panic I lodged my scythe behind it’s shoulder and it reared up in pain. I discharged the shotgun of my scythe several times until the Griffon disappeared into dust beneath me. As it vanished I dropped my scythe and knelt by Summer. Her head lolled to the side, she was still breathing, heart beating but she was out cold.

She hit her head. 

Summer was super prepared at all times. She was always careful and quick, but. . .

Your semblance will bring only destruction. . . 

 

I shook the thought and folded up my blade. I picked her up and ran for the village. As soon as I passed the gates, I screamed, “I need a doctor! I need a doctor now!”  
Townspeople rushed me, we got Summer into a house and people were checking her vitals, then within minutes we were on an airship bound for the Vale medical center. I tried to stay by her, but a paramedic kept pushing me back.

“I’m not leaving her like this,” I insisted and pushed him away.

Just then another medic staffer shouted, “Sir, the portable scan system is down, we can’t keep her stable like this.”

 

Your semblance will bring only destruction. . .

 

It couldn’t be true. . .

 

I stopped fighting with the pushy medic. They fought with the equipment the whole way down but they had their scans up again by the time we landed. But still. . .

A medic tripped. . .

The center was especially busy when we arrived. . . 

The prenatal specialist was out golfing. . .

I called Tai, who had been out looking for a new place for him and Yang and couldn’t get a hold of him, the local CCT point was down for repairs. . .

 

It couldn’t be true. . .

 

Your semblance will bring only destruction. . .

 

In a fit of rage I punched a wall in the medical center leading to the staff trying to hurry me out as fast as possible. I waited on pins and needles until Summer stabilized. She and the baby were okay. I transformed and flew for the mountains. I flew beyond them, to the Eastern shores of Sanus, I still didn’t stop. I flew all the way to Mistral, knowing I should rest, I should eat, I should turn around I kept going -- all the way to the tribe. As day passed into night I finally landed, exhausted, on my last bit of strength, I transformed at the gates. 

I knew the scouts saw me as I collapsed under the gate. I blinked and saw the slender figure approaching. That wasn’t right it should have been Father. As I passed into unconsciousness the last thing I saw was Raven, the Chieftain's mask held under her arm. 

When I woke again I was in the Chieftain’s house, in the very bed I had seen my father lay in almost two years ago. I sat up and the world swam around me. The room was lit only by the shattered moon drifting in the window and in the darkness I saw Raven’s silhouette lit by her bright red eyes glowing across the room.

“Where’s the old bird?” I croaked.

“Dead.” Raven replied.

“Thanks for telling me.”

“Thanks for leaving.”

The two of us lapsed into silence for a few moments, I noticed there was a tray full of crackers and fruits by my bed. I reached for an apple.

“I figured if you were stupid enough to fly all the way here from Vale that we should start you on light foods.” Raven said.

“How did you know I came from there?” I asked as I raised the apple to my lips.

“Where else could you have come from?” she sighed, “What do you want, Qrow?”

“Take it back.” I lowered the snack.

“Take what back?”

“You know what, take back that curse Father gave me when I was here last.” 

“I can’t.” Raven stared me down.

“You got the mask, aren’t you the big Chief now? Don’t you know all the tribe’s black magic?” I asked. 

“You actually think he did anything to you other than knock you on your ass?” Raven laughed.

My stomach twisted in a knot, “What?”

“Father was a powerful mage, but even he couldn’t alter someone’s semblance, you’ve always had that power.”

“Bringing bad luck?”

“Changing the fates of men,” 

“You gotta be fucking kidding me.” I rubbed my hands through my hair, the apple rolled off the bed and broke against the floor.

I sighed.  
Our very first mission, the surprise attack on the train, was that me?  
Ozpin always calling at the wrong time, did I cause that?  
The professor shooting, was that my fault?  
The attack at the Schnee party?  
So many Grimm, did I bring them?  
Summer. . .  
My child . . . 

I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood and breathed hard trying to steady myself.

“So how is she?”

“Huh?” I looked at Raven.

“My daughter, how is she?” 

“She’s beautiful, she’s got quite the temper, even for a toddler.”

“How’s Summer?”

The Beowolves, the Griffons, the tree, angry tears welled in my eyes.

“Whoa, didn’t mean to make you cry.” 

“Shut up.” I flopped back on the bed. After a moment I said, “We’re having a kid.”

“Oh so fatherhood is what has you all watery eyed.” 

“No, I hurt her, and possibly my daughter.”

“So that’s why you want your semblance changed so badly.”

“Wouldn’t you?” 

 

“How’s Tai?” she finally asked.

“Depressed, he swore off drinking after the first year, though. He’s been a great dad.” 

“I knew he would be.” Raven got up to leave the room.

"Depressed or a great dad?"

“Rest up, Qrow.”


	14. The Family of Ruby Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To protect her, Qrow stays north of Summer, but when he learns the tragic story of one robotic daughter, he just can't stay away from his own. . .

Once I’d eaten and slept for about three days I was recovered. I flew to Mistral’s shores and booked passage on an airship to Vale but I didn’t head for Patch.. I had frantic messages from both Tai and Summer on my scroll but I ignored them. Instead I ordered off the in flight bar the whole way to the kingdom. After I landed, I headed to Beacon with several pints of alcohol in me. I was so furious, distraught and drunk that I flew as a bird right through Ozpin’s windows into his office. He was quite concerned about the drunken crow hopping around his office until I transformed back into a man, doubled over and vomited on his nice rug. 

“Qrow! What the hell is wrong with you?” Ozpin asked.

“He smells like a dive bar.” Glynda said. She repaired Ozpin’s window and cleaned up the mess as the old man helped me to stand.

“I gotta get out of Vale.” I croaked.

“You have to sober up, Tai and Summer have been looking for you.” Ozpin sat me down at his desk.

I grabbed onto his lapels, “No. Not Summer. No. I can’t be around them. No.”

He pulled my hands away and sighed, “Glynda could you get us a fresh pot of tea, I have the feeling this is going to take awhile.”

“Yes sir,” I held my head in my hands and watched as she left, her face a mixture of concern and disappointment.

“Now, care to explain? If you’re sober enough for that.” Ozpin leaned over his desk.

“I hurt Summer.” I gulped.

“What?” he asked.

“My semblance, it hurt her.”

Ozpin stared, “Even if that’s true, why are you here?” 

“I can’t be around her right now, I’ll hurt her again.” 

“Do you really think that?” Ozpin asked. When I looked up, I saw the shock in his eyes as he realized I was crying, “What about your semblance is suddenly so dangerous?”

“I’ve always been dangerous, I’ve always brought misfortune, the tribe just made it worse, and the old bird is dead and can’t take it back.” I muttered.

“Okay, Qrow, so what do you want with me?” 

“Send me away, send me on some long mission.” I begged.

“I’m not sure that’s the best course of action-”

“Dammit, Ozpin, I need this.” I slammed my fist against his desk.

He stared at me for a few moments, his arms folded across his chest, “I have something, but you may not like it.”

“Is it in Vale?” I asked.

“No.”

“Good, I’ll take it.” 

The mission to which Ozpin was referring was to play lab rat for several months at G.P. Industries in Atlas. Geppetto Polendina, leading scientist and founder of the robotics company made all the new and improved Atlesian Knights for the military, and he and a certain general were working on something new. When I first arrived in Northern Atlas, they were building robots with special aura measuring capabilities. Geppetto himself was a small man, with graying orange hair and big goggles that covered half his face, but he built his robots big and they packed a punch. The robots would study an opponent's aura and attack based on the information gathered from them, they would learn as they fought, and they needed humans with auras to fight them.

So began the next several months of my hellish life. I would wake up, ignore missed calls from Tai and Summer, leave messages unopened, shower and prepare to kick the shit out of androids for several hours a day. After a few days I bought a flask that I would crack open at the end of every night and try to numb myself to sleep. Days could slip by into nothingness, it didn’t matter how long I was there, fighting the robots, drinking myself into a coma every night, so long as I wasn’t hurting Summer and she could live and have our baby, safe and healthy.

Try as I might, the passage of time soon became evident in several regards. The calls from Summer and Tai grew fewer and farther between. Then Tai’s messages stopped altogether, but I would still get them from Summer on Saturdays. That was how I knew another week had passed. Then the robots started getting better, I started taking hits in addition to giving them out.

Then the strangest thing happened.

James and I talked over drinks.

He was supposed to yell at me for something, I don’t remember exactly what, but he never got around to that. We started talking about how life has changed over the years, he got divorced, I never quite got married. Turns out after that, he had been in a long distance relationship with this really great girl he said, but then work got in the way. He made me spit out my drink when he told me it was Glynda.  
Then old battle wounds came up, though I’d known something but never really thought of it, I didn’t realize he had lost half his body in battle when we first met on the train through Sanus. He didn’t know I had been shot before coming to Atlas the first time and was impressed I could still fight like I used to before. 

Then wounds that don’t heal quite so well came up. I told him about Summer and my daughter. He didn’t have any answers for me there, we toasted flasks and went our separate ways.  
I got the feeling he shared some of what I said with Geppetto. I caught the scientist staring at me over his clipboard over the next few days. I glanced his way only for the android I was fighting to catch me on the side of the jaw. I recoiled and roundhouse kicked the robot across the room. As it fell, I turned to stare at him scribbling notes and looking back up at me.

“Am I doing something wrong, boss?” I asked as I rubbed my jaw.

“No, you’re doing just fine, Mr. Branwen.” He tapped his pen to his chin and sighed, “There is something I would like to show you though.”

He beckoned me to follow him so I took one final glance at the crumpled robot before I folded up my scythe and hooked it to my back. His facility was almost a veritable maze of corridors and twists and turns so I had no clue where we were going, but he surprised me by taking me straight down the hall towards his office. Beside his office door there was a heavy steel storm door with caution stripes painted around the edge. There was a hand print scanner and keypad by the door handle. 

Geppetto typed in a long passcode and scanned his hand while I fidgeted behind him. Finally, the door made a sharp click and then hissed as it slid open. Geppetto stepped through it and then motioned for me to follow. I stepped into this large room with hundreds of metal racks, all with the same identical android bodies hanging there, a girl with orange hair and gray overalls. In the very center of the room was a large lit green cylinder in which swirled a gaseous green substance.

“What the hell is this?” I asked, almost backing through the doorway.

“This is the life work of a man deranged with grief.” Geppetto laid a hand on the cylinder, “Did you know that I’m new to the field of aura research?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“I started only a few years ago, after my daughter died.” Geppetto sighed.

“So you’re trying to build a new one?” I asked, horrified.

“No, not exactly.” Geppetto approached one of the android bodies, “I’m building a memorial. A P.E.N.N.Y. A Prosthetic Energy Network of Yithim. Yithim is the elemental name for Aura, and my daughter had a lot of it. So her aura has been preserved and will live on once we create an android strong enough to generate and use it. 

“You’re going to put your daughter’s soul in a machine?”

“I’m hoping to do some good after all the pain I caused my daughter, and her mother.” Geppetto sighed, “P.E.N.N.Y. will be a defender, a protector.”

I stepped closer to the swirling green cylinder, “What happened to your daughter?”

“What always happens on this continent,” Geppetto clenched his fists, “Grimm, they wounded her beyond saving.”

He looked me straight in the eye, “If only I had been there.”

“Jimmy put you up to this, didn’t he?” I stepped back.

“Qrow, you should be with your daughter.”

“I’m a danger to her, my very presence brings danger!” I yelled at him.

“The world is a dangerous place, Qrow, who better to teach her how to survive it? Who better to face danger with her? Who better to save her from that danger?” Geppetto asked.

As we left the room with the P.E.N.N.Y. drafts, he clapped me on the shoulder. “Please Qrow, take it from a man who wished he had, go see your daughter.”

I sighed, “It’s not as if I don’t want to,”

“If you won’t give yourself permission, then I will,” Geppetto adjusted his goggles, “Your services are no longer required here at G.P. Industries, you will be paid for the full term of your assignment, but your work here is done.”

“There’s no way out of this, is there?” 

“Go home, Qrow.” 

That was so much easier said than done. 

I couldn’t bring myself to read and listen to all the messages from Summer and Tai so I listened to Summer’s most recent one. She tearfully begged me to meet our healthy, beautiful daughter Ruby, and I just couldn’t refuse.

 

The airship ride back to Patch lasted ages, I took small swigs from my flask for courage, and twitched and paced the whole way there. When we landed, I actually walked to our house, I was too nervous to take wing, and I needed the walk there to think about what I was going to say. I thought about buying Summer flowers on the way there, but knew that wouldn’t be enough, I had been gone four months. I had missed my daughter’s birth. 

When I saw our cabin through the clearing in the woods, my heart leapt into my throat and any prepared script I had in my head completely fled. I took another drink and walked up to the door, I actually knocked on it.

A moment later Summer opened the door, alive and well and beautiful. At first, she smiled at me, her eyes welling with tears. I hesitantly smiled back at her and watched her expression change from elated to furious. She reached over the threshold and smacked me across the face. 

I deserved that.

I stepped back and touched my face, only for her to step forward and slap the other side too.

I deserved that as well.

“How. Dare. You.” She pronounced every syllable with painful slowness as she stepped out into the garden. 

“I’m-”

“No!” she cut me off, “No, apologies aren’t enough. We’ll start with explanations, assuming you have any.”

“I did what I thought was right.”

“You left me!” I flinched as she shouted.

“It was to protect you!” I shouted back.

“Bullshit!” She balled her hands into fists.

“My semblance, causes bad luck and destruction, I thought you and our daughter would be safer if I left.” I stared at the ground.

“Qrow, you idiot.” 

I looked up to see her crying, “I don’t care. I don’t care about that at all, we were raised to fight danger our whole lives, I’m not going to let that keep us apart.”

“But I hurt you.” I choked as tears welled in my own eyes.

“You think it’s your fault that a Grimm got the better of me? You saved me, you asshole. You saved me and you left.” she walked up to me and jabbed her finger into my chest.

“I’m sorry.” I said as I reached around to hug her. She hugged me back, squeezing so hard it hurt, but then she pushed me away.

“I said apologies aren’t enough. Your daughter turned a month old last week, and you haven’t even met her yet. You have to earn your place back in our lives.”

“I will, I’ll do whatever it takes.” I promised.

She wiped her eyes, “Then come meet Ruby.”

“That’s a beautiful name.” I wiped my eyes as she lead me into the house. 

In a crib in the living room, a little baby in a white nightgown stared up at us. She had the shortest fuzz of black hair tinged with red like her mother, but darker than Summer’s, as dark as mine. Summer picked her up and cradled her in her arms for a few moments before passing her to me.

As soon as I held her in my arms I fell in love. She was perfect in every way, right down to her silver eyes. It still stopped my heart to see them but she was my daughter all the same. I kissed her forehead and was surprised to find Summer put her arm around my waist. She leaned in, staring down at little Ruby in my arms.

“It’s a start.” Summer said.

“Qwow!” Yang toddle over to see us. I passed Ruby over to Summer and picked up my niece.

“Missed you, kiddo,” I ruffled Yang’s hair, it was almost down to her waist.

“She refused a haircut, very vehemently,” Summer said.

“Heh, guess she’s got some of her mother in her.” 

“Mama!” Yang pointed at Summer. Summer blushed and laughed, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, then I reasoned Summer was the only mother Yang would ever know.

“You’re back, Qrow.” Tai emerged from the dining room, arms crossed over his chest, his eyes hardened.

“Yeah. I’m sorry, man.” I set Yang down and she ran over to her father, “I was an asshole. I was beyond an asshole.”

He maintained his frown for a little bit longer, then he smirked, “Hey, don’t swear in front of the kids.”

Alright, it was a start.

I changed every diaper I could. I was puked on a lot more than I ever thought was physically possible. I dried tears, I fed, burped, and rocked Ruby and every opportunity, and little by little, I thought I could feel the hole in our family healing.

Then one day I was rifling through some papers on the dining room table when I came across one in particular.

“Tai. . .”


	15. Thus Kindly I Scatter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time changes everything: wounds heal, scars fade, and flowers wilt . . .

“Taiyang Xiao Long!” I shouted as I ran into the yard. Tai was chopping wood by edge of the yard.

“What?” He rounded on me.

“It wasn’t enough you got my sister, you had to get the woman I loved too!” I stormed across the yard.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Tai asked.

“This!” I held up the paper I found on the table. Ruby’s birth certificate, and it listed Taiyang as her father. 

“Oh that,” Tai shrugged.

“That’s all you have to say for yourself?” I asked.

“You weren’t here.” Tai dropped his axe.

I charged for him and we rolled into the ground, fists flying. Tai got a kick in on me and sent me flying across the yard. I got back up and caught him across the face with my left hook and took out his right leg with mine. He grabbed me as he went down and caught me across the jaw. I dove my elbow down at his face and just as it connected, we heard Summer scream.

“That’s enough!” She shouted from the doorway. 

Tai caught me across the face while I was staring at her and pushed me off him with the punch. 

“You two are not doing this in the front yard with your daughters right here in the house!” Summer had her hands on her hips.

“Our daughters? How can you say that?” I wiped my mouth and pointed at the discarded birth certificate in the yard.

Summer went and picked it up and gasped when she saw it, “Tai, you kept this?”

“I hadn’t gotten around to throwing it away yet,” He shrugged.

“Wait, what?” I asked, “Why would you throw away her birth certificate?”

“Because this one is a mistake,” Summer said, “The doctors assumed Taiyang was her father because he was there.”

Ouch. 

“Tai was there with me in the delivery room. When they asked him his name he didn’t realize it was for this, so after we saw the mistake we ordered a second one. That one has your name on it, Qrow Branwen.” Summer said.

“Oh.” All my angry wind left me.

“Have you looked at your daughter, Qrow? Does she look anything at all like Tai?” Summer turned and went back into the house. “Ugh, make up you two.” 

“Why did you fight me, if you knew it was a mistake?” I asked him.

“I’ve been wanting to punch that face of yours for a while now.” Tai spit on the ground, “We were best friends Qrow and you left not only me but you left Summer when she needed you most. Then you just waltz back in and want to pretend you were here all along. Things change over time. Feelings change over time.”

“So that’s how it is.” I narrowed my gaze at Tai, “I made my mistakes, and yes, I got a late start in Ruby’s life, but I’m here now. So get used to it.” 

“You’re here until Ozpin sends you away again, it seems he likes to do that.” Tai said.

“Is that why, you’re keeping that cushy job teaching at Signal?” I asked, “Trying to stay close to Summer?”

“I’m raising my daughter, and until you showed up I was raising yours too.” 

“I’ve been told I’d make a good teacher too, you know.” I turned to go back inside the house, “Maybe I’ll get a job there too and finally pop the question to Summer.”

“She’ll never say yes until you earn her trust back, and you know that will take a while.” Tai scoffed. 

He was right. 

I did what I could. I knew Tai was right about being sent away. Ozpin needed my skills in the far reaches of Remnant, and Summer’s powers were needed to keep culling the Grimm, so we were rarely all three home at the same time with the kids, and Summer and Tai were home together more frequently than not, but I wasn’t that worried. 

I put my energy into Ruby. I played with her every chance I got, I made sure even if Tai was around more, she knew I was still part of her family. Even if I had to stay on the sidelines. Almost by chance then, the more I resigned myself to being on the side, the more Summer came back to me. After a few weeks spent on the couch, she welcomed me back into her life, and her bed, but we still didn’t get married. 

All she wanted was for me to be there, with her and Ruby, and I had to show her that’s what I wanted and I was willing to do for the rest of my life. I didn’t take any longer missions. I came home as fast as I could, I brought red and white roses when I did and I stayed as long as was possible. Oz practically had to drag me away. Tai and I still didn’t get along great but we were starting again, even despite our animosity over Summer. Yang and Ruby kept growing, beautiful little cousins.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. 

A few weeks after Ruby turned three years old, Summer and I both got called on missions at the same time. Ozpin wanted me to investigate growing militant White Fang activity in Mistral - in human form. Summer was sent to destroy another Scar, a huge Grimm nest that had grown quickly. This time it was on the edge of Vacuo, near the first one we destroyed together. She was a little bit nervous about it for some reason. 

“They’ll be alright, won’t they?” She asked as we packed.

“Yeah, we won’t be gone long.” I tucked my flask in my bag.

“I wish you wouldn’t drink in front of them.” Summer said.

“Huh?” 

“Ruby and Yang, you shouldn’t drink in front of them, promise me you won’t from now on?” Summer begged.

“Okay, what’s this about?” I asked, “Why the concern all of a sudden?”

“This mission just doesn’t feel right,” Summer pressed her hands together, “Ozpin was insistent, but really worried, so I’m worried.”

“I could go with you,” I offered.

“No, that’s alright, Ozpin’s got work for you too,” she shrugged.

“He’s always got work for me.” I said.

“So finish this mission quickly okay?” Summer kissed me.

“Okay,” I hugged her close and we headed out. 

We both boarded airships at the port, she was bound for the Scar, I was bound for Mistral. I watched hers depart, and my heart sank in my stomach. I paced and I paced. I knew she was strong, she had only gotten stronger over the years, her power seemed to grow as she aged, she would definitely surpass the old Shade headmaster if she kept at it. 

But still. . . I had this nagging feeling that I just couldn’t shake. I heard my father’s words in my head again, though I tried not to, I began to wonder if I had put her in danger, and then I shook myself and reasoned that if I wasn’t with her she was safer because she was away from me and my semblance. Then I thought of Geppetto, what if I should be there to protect her?

I struggled with it for a couple hours, but then my fears were validated, Ozpin called me.

“Qrow, your airship must turn around or you must disembark, effective immediately.” 

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“The growing numbers of Grimm in central Sanus were due to the Scar, I thought, but I fear now it is something much worse. I think Salem is making a move.”

“And you sent Summer there.” I growled, “I’m on my way.”

I demanded that the pilot of the airship turn around but he refused, so I told him he was landing for a pit stop to let me off or I was making an exit for myself in the air. Begrudgingly, he complied and I flew west for central Sanus. 

I knew when I was getting close, I could feel the air grow heavier as if this dark pressure was pushing it down. There were storm clouds gathered overhead and I heard the bayings of Grimm from far away. I saw flashes of silver and white light, Summer was there. Then just as bright as her light, beams of shadow shot forth and tangled with her light. 

My wings beat faster, but the darkness was surrounding her light. This eerie shape was moving closer. I was still too far away to do anything, I flew with all my might until I was directly on top of them.

Two forces, light and darkness pushed against each other, each fighting to snuff the other out. From the darkness poured Grimm, just as soon as they leapt forth the brightness of the light returned them to dust and just as the light tried to spread outwards the darkness circled nearer, nipping at its heals. In the orb of brightness I saw my Summer, burning like the sun, her cape flying behind her, her face a solid disk of light as it poured from her eyes. In the orb of darkness, I saw a shadow, a figure blacker than night, and she was rising, her face as pale as a Grimm’s, there was a sinister dark red tint to the magic that poured forth from her. 

She shot tendrils of darkness at Summer, they spiraled and bored into her sphere of light. Summer raised her arms to defend herself and in that moment I transformed mid air, directly above the darkness. As I fell I brought my scythe slashing down, ready to cleave the darkness in half, but I never got that chance.

The darkness caught me and seized me with such force I was instantly thrown against the ground, my scythe knocked clear from my hand into a nearby tree. There were so many Grimm around me, all clawing, keening, running towards me to devour me, but the darkness held me fast.

“Qrow! No!” Summer’s voice was warbled, as she cried out, I didn’t know if it was her powers or the powers suppressing me that changed it, but I couldn’t move to acknowledge her, to find out. As strong as I was, I was helpless against her. There was such a heavy weight pressing down on me, and in the darkness I thought I saw my own sly smile. 

Every vile, every cruel and evil thing I had ever done was weighing on me like lead, and the part of me that reveled in rebellion felt a sick pleasure in it. I understood why her servants followed the Queen of Grimm, they did not choose, they were compelled to follow Salem. And she was compelling me, creating a darker, stronger version of me with her magic. Under her thumb I could do anything, I could be anything, and my destruction could be beautiful.

Then I heard it, as faint as a whisper, “Not Qrow!” 

This faint humming started in my ears, then it turned into a shrill ringing, then a loud roar as the darkness that pressed against me was swept away and I was awash in the brightest white I had ever seen. It was purer than snow and softer than a feather, and Summer was the center of it. 

I was able to stand again. I saw her there, hovering above the ground and she smiled at me. I returned her smile and started towards her. I was awash in Summer’s soul, her aura, held under her protection.

Yet in the brightness that surrounded us, though I had never felt closer to Summer, we could not be reunited. 

A beam of darkness broke through the light. It shattered it like panes of glass and it’s clawing tendrils struck Summer straight in the chest. The light fell away to vapor and the darkness pushed Summer out of the air. When it retreated, Summer fell from the sky, red blood quickly spilling onto her white cape. I rushed to her and caught her, she felt as light as paper. 

“Summer,” I called her name, but her eyes were closed, tears of blood dripping from their corners. Tears started to form in my own eyes, she saved me.

I heard cruel laughter and turned. The white faced woman emerged from the shadows, reddish black veins of magic extended from her into the air, she was so happy to see me suffer. She descended to the ground, flanked by a legion of Grimm. 

“Ozpin thought that little girl could beat me? He’s even more a fool than I realized.” She licked her lips, “And here you came so far to save her, but she saved you at the cost of her own life. What a shame it would be for her last efforts to go to waste.”

She reached her scarred hand forward and a forceful wind knocked my feet from under me, my knees hit the ground hard, but I held Summer fast, tears running down my face.

“Don’t listen to her Qrow.” Summer smiled at me in my arms, her eyes were still closed, but weakly she reached up to touch my face and wipe away my tears but the tears of blood were streaming down her cheeks. She was happy even as Salem’s darkness encroached around us.

“Have hope.”

When Summer touched my face, her fingers pressed ever so lightly. As she pulled away, her fingers slipped right through mine dissolving into glowing, soft, and white rose petals. The weight of her left my arms, and her glowing petals drifted upwards towards Salem. I heard Salem shriek, but all I saw was a whirlwind of white. All that remained in my arms was her bloodstained cape. I reached for her but all that was left was a flurry of rose petals. The darkness was gone and I heard an airship approaching as my world spun sideways and my vision went white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well we all knew Ruby's mom died eventually, I took inspiration from the phrase on her tombstone: http://rwby.wikia.com/wiki/Summer%27s_Gravestone?file=V3e1_4.png  
> This was rough to write, but Qrow's story is far from over though, I hope you all stick around to see what I've got planned for him.


	16. Lies of Need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How will Qrow protect his family?

“Qrow, can you hear me?”

“Mrrrgh”

“Qrow, I need you to wake up,” It was Ozpin’s voice that finally brought me back around. I opened my eyes to see a checkered ceiling tile pattern and smell the antiseptic. I was lying in a bed in Vale’s medical center. Everything ached, my knees and old injury in particular. I sat up to see the old man, Ozpin standing by my bed side, his face was one of pity, and for a moment I was confused, then I saw the bloodstained cape in his hand.

Now I remembered why heart was in pieces. I could feel every splinter spreading through my chest like cracks in a window. I doubled over and bunched the hospital sheets in my fist. Hot tears ran down my face as I held my hand out towards him. He passed me the cape and as I took it from him more white rose petals fell from it. I bunched up the cape in front of me and buried my face in it, I could smell Summer in the cape, but more powering than the remnant of her smell was the smell of her blood on the fabric. Horrified, I wrenched the cloth away from my face and clutched it to my chest.

“You sent her to a battle she couldn’t win.” I croaked, my voice sore and broken. 

“I know.” Ozpin bowed his head, “That was never my intention, Qrow. I had no idea that Salem would be there, orchestrating the Grimm.”

“I know.” I sighed, “You sent her, but it’s my fault Salem killed her.”

“You can’t know that, Qrow.” 

“I warned you, I warned you I would bring danger to my family, and I killed the woman I love.”

“Don’t talk like that.” Ozpin tried to reach for my shoulder but I jerked away.

“If you really believe that my being there had nothing to do with her death, then tell me.” I dared him to say it, to say something or anything, I needed him to, but he didn’t.  
Instead, he sighed and pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose, “We lost the battle, but the war is far from over. I believe Salem can still be defeated. I know it is a lot to ask but whe-”

“I’ll do it.” I held the cape softer now and folded the hood down, “Just give me a little bit of time to sort some things out.”

“Take all the time you need, Qrow.” Ozpin’s cane clacked on his way out. 

After an hour or so I was checked out of the center and checked myself into the local pub. At the bottom of several glasses of whiskey, I knew that while I may have lost Summer, there was someone else at home who I needed to see.

It probably wasn’t the best thing to do, but I flew on wing to Patch. I shifted a few feet from the ground and crashed into the walkway in front of the house as a man. Tai must have heard the noise because as I tried not to trip over my own cape, he opened the front door. He leaned against the doorframe, red eyed and holding a bottle of whiskey. 

I staggered over to him, the cape still in my hand, “Remember when we used to drink that stuff for fun?”

“Can’t say that I do,” He shook his head.

Tai held the door for me as I practically fell into the house. I wobbled my way to the dining room table and sank into a chair. 

He sat across from me, sipping straight from the bottle. In front of us were three photos. One was of Team STRQ in our glory days. One was of Tai and Raven outside their new home that now sat abandoned. One was me and Summer, sitting side by side in this clearing at the Cliffside Forest in Vale. I reached for the photo of Summer and I and pulled it to me, I hugged it with the cape.

“Where are our girls?” I croaked a moment later. 

“Yang cried herself to sleep, Ruby is confused but also asleep in her crib.” Tai sighed.

“There’s something I need to ask you.” I gulped.

“What is it?” 

“Do you still have that first copy of Ruby’s birth certificate?” 

“Qrow, what are you asking?”

“Do. You Still. Have. It?”

“Yes!” Tai slammed the bottle on the table and it shook. We froze and waited but neither of us heard movement upstairs. The girls were still asleep. Tai calmed down, “Yes, I . . . I always meant to throw it away, but I actually found it stashed with this.”

He waved the liquor in front of me and gestured at the old photos.

“I see, you hid it away with all your delusions. Well I need you to get it back out.” I pulled the Team STRQ photo towards me. 

“Why is that?” Tai asked.

“I can’t raise Ruby.” I couldn’t look at him, not without crying and feeling even more pathetic and worthless than I already did.

“What do you mean? You’re great with her-”

“No, I’m not. It’s just like I told Su-” I gulped and swallowed her name before it made me cry again, “Just like I told her mom, namely I bring danger to everyone I care about.”

“I don’t believe-”

“And, I need to hunt down that bitch who killed my wif-” I caught myself just a little too late. That was right, Summer and I never married, I wasn’t even a widower. I took a shaky breath, “I need to hunt down Salem.”

“This whole ‘misfortune’ shit of yours, I don’t-” before Tai could finish his sentence the liquor he held in his hand slipped and the bottle crashed against the floor into pieces. 

I stared between Tai and the glass shards and sighed. I gathered up the two photos and Summer’s cape into my own bundle of sorrow and got up, “Goodnight Tai.” 

As I left I heard him cut himself on the glass and swear under his breath. As much as I wanted him to believe me, part of me wished I was crazy, and it wasn’t true.  
I walked upstairs to mine and Summer’s room. As I opened the door the smell of her wafted over me. For a moment I just closed my eyes and tried to imagine what I would see when I opened them. Ruby asleep in her crib, and Summer curled up in bed. Though I didn’t see what I wished, I didn’t see what I was expecting either. Ruby had crawled from her crib and into mine and Summer’s bed. 

I stepped towards the bed only to realize I smelled like cigarettes and booze and Summer would never forgive me for going near our toddler child like that. I slipped into the bathroom and showered as quietly as possible, and once in clean shorts and a shirt, I got into bed beside her, still sleeping. Her eyes were puffy and I knew she had been crying but even still she looked so much like Summer, but there were only faint traces of me in her, faint enough that no one ever need see them if they didn’t look close enough. 

I draped an arm over her and felt her instinctively snuggle closer. As much as I had tried to be there for Ruby, at just three years old I had already missed so much. I missed her birth, and while I saw her first steps I missed her first words. I didn’t know how much three year olds were supposed to talk, but Ruby talked less than Yang had, and though “Mama” was in her vocabulary, I had yet to hear anything close to “Dad”. I closed my eyes and sighed. If I did what was best for her, I never would.

I don’t know how long I slept, but it was still dark, it looked to be an hour or so before dawn when I got up, my head was pounding in a massive hangover. Ruby was still sleeping soundly so I slipped out of the room. I went downstairs to brew some coffee and as I sat at the dining room table, a few minutes later I heard the pitter patter of small feet on the stairs.  
I got unreasonably nervous that it was Ruby, but a moment later Yang rounded the corner, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“Awful early to be up, isn’t it, kiddo?” I asked.

“I can’t sleep, Uncle Qrow.” A moment later I realized she wasn’t groggy from sleep, she was wiping tears from her eyes.

“Come here, little canary.” I leaned back in my chair and Yang came over and threw her arms around my waist. I patted her hair and hugged her with a hard sigh.

“Mama’s not coming back.” Yang cried as she hugged me.

“I know.” I gulped, “But it’s going to be okay.”

“It doesn’t feel okay,” Yang sniffled.

“I know that too,” I swallowed hard and pressed on, “But you still have me, your good old Uncle, and you have your dad, and Ruby.”

Yang nodded and I went on, “Ruby was Mama’s daughter, right?”

Yang looked up at me, a little confusion in her tear filled eyes, “Yeah.” 

“And you are Mama’s daughter too, right?”

Gods she was so much like Raven, just shy of five years old and Yang already had the perfect I-will-kill-you-face. 

“What does that make you and Ruby?” I asked. 

Yang hesitated and said, “Sisters?”

“Right.” I patted her hair, “Good job.”

“Why did you ask, Uncle Qrow?” 

“I’m thinking of being a teacher one day, kiddo,” I shrugged it off, “Can you try to get some sleep for me? I promise Daddy will make sunny side eggs for you in a couple hours.”

“I’m not hungry.” Yang insisted, only for her stomach to growl for her. 

I raised an eyebrow at her and sighed, “Mama may not be here but she still needs you to eat.”

Yang sniffled and nodded, “Yes, Uncle Qrow.” 

She left just as the coffee finished brewing, and when I sat back down with my mug, Tai loomed in the doorway. His eyes were puffy and his hair looked like Raven or I could nest in it.

“Your eyes are red.” He grumbled as he went to get a mug.

“No shit.” I leaned back in the chair.

“Redder than usual, asshole.” Tai said as he poured.

“What happened to not swearing in front of the children?” I asked.

“I saw Yang get back in bed. How bout we talk about that little exchange you had there?” Tai asked, “When you came back you were willing to kill me over a misprint that said I was Ruby’s father, now you’re asking me to be?”

“I’m asking you to be her dad, because I can’t.” I ran my fingers through my hair, “The powers that I have, the things that I will have to do, and the kind of life I lead are not good for raising kids.”

“And a washed up, depressed combat teacher is?” Tai asked as he sat down.

“I don’t know about washed up, maybe out of the field too long, but I’d rather you had been out of the field too long than never leave it.” I sighed, “Tai I know I am asking the a lot of you, but nothing has ever taken so much out of me than asking this.”

“I know. And I get it on some level, but I’ll never understand you or your work with Ozpin, I never have.” 

I gave a half-laugh, it was almost genuine but just a little beyond my reach, “It’s cause you’re too honest.” 

“There is something I want to ask of you though, something that I can’t do alone.” Tai’s voice cracked, “I think it will help us both.”

I looked at Tai peculiarly but agreed. 

I spent the day feeling numb, I flew. I didn’t have any particular destination, but I felt better feeling the air rather than feeling the weight of my heart. I stayed away from the house, despite knowing Ruby would be upset and confused and knowing that the bond I had worked so hard to preserve between us, would now belong to her and Tai. I itched to take a drink, to feel less, so I flew lower over the hills, then transformed and landed. 

I took out my flask to take a drink but froze when I realized where I was. I had flown to the Cliffside Forest in Vale. I was on the very same cliff where Team STRQ picnicked during our days at Beacon, where Raven snapped the picture of me and Summer in the grass. It was one of the last times I remembered us all being happy together. 

I flopped back into the grass and laid there. I contemplated throwing my flask off the cliff, and myself with it, but I didn’t. I just laid there until the sun sank well below the horizon, and I knew I had better take wing before any Grimm started sniffing around for my depression. I flew back to Patch slowly, I knew Tai wanted to go out and do something tonight, but I didn’t want to be there until Ruby had fallen asleep. I left the house the first time he referred to himself as “Daddy” towards Ruby, even though I knew it had to be done, I couldn’t bear to hear it. 

When I did return to the house, Tai was waiting outside, two bottle in his hands. I landed and he half smiled at me, “Glad you could make it.”

“Who’s staying home with the girls?” I asked.

“I called in a favor from Glynda.” Tai passed me one of the liquor bottles and the two of us started walking.

“Glynda? Glynda Goodwitch?”

“The very same.” Tai shrugged.

“When did she get here?” 

“Right after the girls went to bed, why?” 

I sighed, “I haven’t told Ozpin that Ruby inherited Summer’s silver eyes yet.” 

“Why not?” 

“Because if he knew then, as soon as she’s old enough to hold a sword, possibly sooner, he’ll want her trained to kill Grimm like Summer.” I swallowed hard when I thought of our last battle and took a swig from the bottle in my hand.

It wasn’t so bad, being numb.

“Understood.”

“So where the hell are we going anyway?” 

Tai didn’t answer me, instead the two of us crossed Patch in silence, until the terrain changed, we went down a long forested road I hadn’t seen in almost four years, “Your old house.”

“That’s right.” 

“What are we going to do here?” I asked as we approached. 

Tai raised the bottle and pulled box of matches from his pocket, “Drink and burn.”

Tai had paid off the house, and it was pretty nice looking so if he wanted he probably could have sold it, but instead he decided to take out all the stuff he needed and fill the shell of the house with everything that reminded him of my sister. For a little bit there when he offered me a tank of gasoline he had there, I was afraid that would include me, but in the end we doused the house and drank ourselves into a stupor as we watched it burn. 

“I hate you, man.” Tai said halfway through the first bottle.

“I love you, too,” I burped in his face.

“Ugh, you’re awful.” Tai turned away.

“And you fell in love with my dead wife, while trying to forget your deadbeat wife.” 

“You never married her,” Tai reminded me.

“Doesn’t matter.” I took another swig and passed him the bottle.

"So we're kicking out our old lives with a bang!" Tai punched the air as the flames ate at the house supports.

"I guess we'll never go back to who we were," I took out the picture of me and Summer from the forest and considered throwing it in the flames. I continued, “Promise me you’ll do right by Ruby,” 

“Don’t you think she’ll need you?” Tai asked.

“Not nearly as much as I need her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arson is frowned upon in most societies, please do not burn down any of yours or anyone else's property in grief or otherwise. I am in no way encouraging it. 
> 
> Also sorry this chapter took me a couple days, more will be coming ASAP.


	17. Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The childhood of Ruby and Yang. . .

In the end, my night with Tai resulted in the good citizens of the village of Patch noticing that a house was on fire. The responding team of firemen were only talked down by an infuriated Glynda. She saved our asses from arson charges, even though it was Tai’s own house. She ended up escorting us back home, or partially literally dragging us back. Come morning, Tai and I were in for a very rude awakening. 

“I am so disappointed in you both!” Glynda cracked her crop obscenely loud against the air and Tai and I were jolted awake, we had passed out on either end of the couch.

Tai clutched his head, “Shh don’t wake the girls.” 

“Fine,” Glynda cracked the crop right next to his head and he flinched, “How could either of you think this was a good idea? Such needless destruction of property, your own property no less.”

Maybe it was the lingering presence of the liquor or the pounding in my head interfering with my decisions, but I got it in my head to ask, “How did you think dating the general was a good idea?”

That earned me a slap, “How dare you. You are about as sensitive as a pig!”

As I held my face in shock, I could see she instantly regretted that, “I’m sorry, boys. I know what you’ve been through, both of you. I know everyone deals with grief in their own ways, it’s just hard seeing my former students like this.”

“I wish you saw two more of your students here, then maybe you wouldn’t see us like this.” 

“I wish that too, Qrow. You’re out of trouble with the law, but try not to burn anything else down, especially when I’m not around.” Glynda patted both of our shoulders and turned to go.

I sighed and looked at Tai, “I should go soon too.”

“I know.” Tai glanced towards the stairs, “The girls will miss you.”

“And I’ll miss them.” 

I didn’t go immediately. I stayed long enough to see a memorial plaque for Summer raised at the Cliffside Forest, and even when I left for Ozpin’s work, I wasn’t really gone for as long as I seemed. I knew I couldn’t be home too much, but I couldn’t stay away, so I stayed as close as possible, a tree by the house. Ruby didn’t see me but I got to see bits and pieces of her life. Yang trying to braid her hair in the front yard, Ruby following Yang around like a shadow, and Tai standing there the whole time being the gentle, supervising parent.

After awhile I noticed I wasn’t the only one watching our little family. There was another particular bird that lingered in the front yard only when the girls were out. She perched on a branch just above the kitchen window. I decided it was time for a family reunion and landed right next to her. Our red eyes studied each other for a moment, then I wobbled towards her, grinning as much as a bird can and she batted me away with her bony bird feet. I squawked at her, and we probably would have pecked at each other left and right, were it not for the giggling we heard below us. We glanced down to see Ruby, wide eyed and smiling at the two of us. 

She was staring at me almost as if she knew, maybe it was the Branwen in her, or maybe it was just a child’s curiosity. Whatever it was, I knew it would pass soon, Ozpin always needed me to go away for something, and Raven was good at not drawing attention to herself. 

I kept drinking on my off days. The alcohol didn’t make me miss Summer less, but it made life without her and Ruby tolerable, it made me feel less responsible, with my senses and my semblance hopefully dulled. It also made the girls at the bars prettier, even though none of them looked as pretty as Summer. 

The first time I woke in a bed next to someone else, I thought she was Summer. When she heard that, she was very unhappy with me, and I was flying out of there as soon as possible. I swore never to sleep with girls with dark hair after that. I felt guilty for sleeping with any girl at all, but it was hard to feel much of anything at the bottom of the bottles I drank. 

I probably would have drank myself to death in that state, if not for an incident on one of my flights home to Patch. A little after the first anniversary of Summer’s death, I was taking my time flying one evening, just studying the terrain, when an uneasy feeling settled over the wind. I was near the ruins of Tai and Raven’s old house, we did manage to burn a lot of it down, so no doubt the wreckage was prime territory for Grimm to lurk. 

I flew lower on a whim, and a moment later I heard a shrill scream split the air. I dove into the trees by the house to see Ursai a crowd of Ursai surrounding something. As I transformed in the tree, my heart stopped as I realized what it was. 

Little Yang in her sweet golden pigtails had somehow wandered this far, and beside her in a red wagon was Ruby. 

I launched myself from the trees and cut down the Ursa standing closest to her. A moment later I sliced through the next one and the next one, until all that remained was a shaking Yang crouching by the wagon. 

I put away my scythe and scooped her up in one arm and grabbed the sleeping Ruby in the next. I hugged them both close and kissed their hair, “What are you doing out here?”

Yang had no answer for me, she just cried into my neck, and Ruby, sleepy and unaware what happened, just wrapped her arms around me. I tried not to be happy about how nice it was to have them both in my arms. I sighed and started walking for their house.

It looked exactly the same as it had the last time, though once we got inside I found Tai asleep at the dining room table, an empty bottle beside him. I cursed him in my head, but the small children in my arms kept me from saying it out loud. I carried them upstairs, and found Ruby now had a “big girl bed” as she called it, in Yang’s room. I sat them down and went to tuck Yang in first.

“Hey, little canary,” I said as I knelt beside her bed.

“I’m sorry, Uncle Qrow.” she sobbed.

“That’s okay, I’m always looking out for you.” I pulled the covers up over her, “What made you go out there?”

Yang continued sobbing and pulled a folded, crumpled photo from her pocket. I took it from her. It was the photo of Raven and Tai in front of their house. I had never noticed before that it had their address on the mailbox.

“Where did you get this?” I asked. She pawed for it back and I gave it.

“You lied Uncle Qrow, Daddy did too. My mom was her.” She pointed at Raven in the photo, “Ruby and I have different moms. Ruby's mom died but I want to find mine.”

You have different dads too, but I couldn't say that. I rocked back on my heels and ran my hand through my hair, “You might find her one day, I have no doubt you are determined enough to do it, but you can't put Ruby or yourself in danger like that. Big goals like this, you have to work towards them a little bit at a time, okay?”

“Why did she leave me behind, Uncle Qrow?” Yang's eyes poured more tears.

“I don't know, kiddo. I wish I could bring her back, but that may be something only you can do.” I kissed her forehead, “If you want to look for her again, you got some growing up to do first though.”

She nodded and I went over to Ruby's bed. Ruby stared at me, all smiles in her big silver eyes, she definitely had Summer's smile. I sighed and grinned back at her as I pulled up her covers. 

“You saved us, Uncle Qrow.” Ruby beamed at me, “You're my hero.”

I kissed her forehead and ruffled her hair, “Thanks kiddo.”

As I hurried out of their room, I sighed, I was so close to making it through the day without a drink. Now that was all down the drain as I downed some whiskey from the flask. 

I got downstairs and saw Tai was stirring in the dining room. I took another swig from my flask and kicked him in the shins.

He jolted awake, “Qrow, what the hell are you doing?”

“I might ask you the same thing, do you know where I found the girls?”

“Upstairs?”

“No, that's where I just put them. I found them at the ruins of your old house.” 

“What?” Tai looked up at me.

“Yeah, what happened that Yang knows Raven is her real mom?” I asked.

Tai sighed, “When the anniversary of Summer’s death hit, I got pretty bent out of shape, and I mourned her and I waxed on a little bit about Raven leaving me. Yang started asking questions, so I told her the truth.”

My eyebrows shot to heaven, “What?”

“The truth that I’m her and Ruby’s dad but that they had two different moms.” Tai raised his hands defensively.

I sighed, “Okay, thanks Tai.”

I sat down beside him, “Still. . . how did they end up across the island?”

Tai bowed his head, “I got pretty drunk tonight, don’t give me that look, you’re always drinking.”

“Yes, but I was there to save the girls, while you were passed out here.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

“I’m not perfect, Qrow, but I will get better.” Tai glared at me as he got up to throw away the empty bottle. 

“I know, and that’s why I will be here until you do.” I said. Tai sighed and I grinned at his infuriated expression.

Aside from pissing him off, I did want an excuse to find more time with the girls and staying nearby would help me do that. I told Ozpin I was taking a job at Signal in addition to gathering reconnaissance for him. For some strange reason, everyone was surprised to learn that I didn’t hate every kid I wasn’t related to, I actually did okay with the students.

They had me teaching a combat and weapons class to some of the older students. Signal was one of those schools that focused a lot on individualism, so each student made their own weapon and learned their own ways of fighting. I helped many of the students with the basics, some pointers here and there about what was good in a fight and what would get you killed, but I rarely showed anyone how I fought, and if I did I used the blade of my scythe rather than its full form. I did coach scythe wielders here and there, but I never showed them my specific style, there was only one person I was going to teach that to, and she was not nearly old enough. 

It was apparent from her days as a toddler that she wanted to follow in her family’s footsteps. I caught her copying Summer’s stances in the yard, and though she didn’t seem to have her semblance with plants, she would stare at the flowers in the garden with all her might trying to make something happen. She asked only for Huntsmen toys and Grimm action figures to learn about the different kinds. She would tell you her plans too, she wanted to be a hero, just like in the stories, just like Mom, just like Dad, and just like good ole’ Uncle Qrow. 

I didn’t want to think about Ruby being old enough to train as a Huntress, but time has a way of moving so much faster than you want it to, and soon enough that sweet little girl started to grow up. She was no less sweet, more like Summer everyday, and though I tried to stay away most of the time, there were flashes of me in her too. 

When she turned twelve and was still absolutely helpless with most weapons, she was infuriated, frustrated with the world and herself.  
I resigned myself to her growing up whether I wanted her to or not. I shifted my weapon into my scythe form and passed it to her carefully, it was time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based in part on Yang's story from "Burning the Candle" of season 2


	18. Cold Shoulder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow had a thing for girls in white. . .

“Keep your arm straight.” I stood at the edge of the Signal training grounds, my arms crossed over my chest as Ruby ran through the drills with my scythe, “No, swing wider.”

“Like this, Uncle Qrow?” She asked as she brought down the blade a little haphazardly.

“Something like that, if you’ve got your heart set on a scythe, I think we need to make yours slightly lighter.” I scratched my chin as she twirled it behind her.

“Oh I can’t wait to make my own weapon.” Ruby squealed, “It’s gonna be so cool! I don’t know if I want it to be as sword-like as yours though.”

“Heh, it took me many years to get used to swords, but they’re worth your time, kiddo.” I sighed, as my scroll went off. 

Ozpin wanted to talk. 

“Okay, that’s enough for today, Ruby,” I extended my hand and she shifted my scythe back to its dormant form. 

As she passed it to me, the smile suddenly drained from her eyes, “Uncle Qrow, what kind of weapon did my mom use?”

I sighed, “She used and opal spear she called Thorn. No complicated shifts like my scythe, just a really strong spear, and she was pretty strong herself.”

“Do you think I could be as strong as her one day?” 

I stared at her silver eyes, almost afraid to answer, “Stronger, I hope. I have a meeting Ruby, I’ll see you soon. Make sure Yang does her homework.”

“Yessir, oh I can’t wait till I can go to Signal too!” Ruby’s smile instantly returned as she scampered off.

I reached for my flask and headed towards Beacon. I had a couple swigs as I went, but I had a much higher tolerance than when I crashed into Ozpin’s office last. I tended to take the elevator nowadays, though it was a good deal slower. 

When the elevator opened I saw Glynda reading to Oz from a clipboard and Ozpin reclined in his office chair, his hands folded thoughtfully in his lap. The elevator beeped and they both turned to look at me.

“Glynda, you’re looking as enchanting as ever.” I said as I sauntered into his office.

“Hello, Qrow.” She scowled as she turned and left.

I walked over to the old man’s desk, “She seems angrier than usual.”

“James Ironwood is in Vale.” Ozpin sighed, “They’ve had an interesting working relationship.”

“Working,” I chuckled.

Ozpin rolled his eyes, “Either way, I wanted to talk to you about his arrival as well. He is bringing with him unprecedented Atlas technology. He is looking for any of the brilliant minds of Vale to go back to Atlas and help.” 

“Geppetto level technology?” I asked.

“Geppetto is actually out of the picture at present. He is away on medical leave.” Ozpin sighed, “But yes, the technology behind his PENNY project is here, Ironwood is trying to make the Knights more self aware.” 

“They’re not using her aura are they?” I asked.

“I hope not.” Ozpin pulled up the Vale plaza map from a projection on his desk, “I’ll need you to be there in case there’s any trouble with the White Fang, they’ve been doing anything they can to get their hands on Atlas technology, and dust.” 

“Alright, I’ll look over the plans tonight.”

“Good luck, Qrow.” 

Oh to be lucky for one day in my life.

I left Beacon on wing for Patch and was flying out over the Vale countryside. I couldn’t admit it to Tai, but I was almost happy teaching at Signal, I was still moderately worried about my semblance affecting my students and my family, but I found the drunker I got at night, the less misfortune I encountered. I tried to keep my word to Summer, I drank alone in our old room - that had become the guest room, or at bars, but never directly in front of the girls.

I was passing over the Cliffside Forest around sunset, when I noticed someone at Summer’s gravestone. A little girl in all black and a big red bow It was Ruby. 

And a Beowolf was running right towards her. 

I dove through the air and transformed right behind the monster. I cleaved it in half just as it roared, Ruby screamed and threw her arms up.

“Ruby! What are you doing here?” I shouted as the monster disappeared into dust.

She lowered her hands, “I’m sorry Uncle Qrow, I just wanted to see mom’s grave.”

“You don’t even have a weapon of your own yet, this area is way too dangerous. How did you even get here alone? What were you thinking?” I grabbed for her wrist and started pulling her away.

She tugged away from me and glanced at the gravestone, “You don’t understand, I needed to come here, alone.”

“Why’s that?” I crossed my arms over my chest.

She sighed, “I’ve been having nightmares about Mom’s death.”

“Yeah well my life is a nightmare, kiddo, come on.” 

She wouldn’t talk to me the whole way back to Patch, but I was honestly mad at her too. I told her to go home, and she disobeyed and nearly got herself killed. It was a good thing I’d taken Geppetto’s advice, if only because of my daughter’s bullheadedness.

After I saw Ruby safely at home, and Tai sober and helping Yang with her homework, I found my way to Vale’s seediest Tavern and ordered doubles like I needed them to breathe. 

I spent hours leaned over the bar, a half full glass hung between my fingers pressed against my temple. The bar had a small time band that played catchy music and cigarette smoke wafted through the air in a thick fog. It was all a dull drone in my ears, the whole world was a blur, and in that blur the things that I wanted to forget became crystal clear. 

My father, my sister, my Summer, and my daughter. Everything wrong with the world, everything wrong with me, all running through my head at the same time. I had to stop the rushing noise. 

I slammed my drink against the counter and stood up. I tossed a few lien on the bar and stretched. The haze of the cigarettes only amplified my intoxication. I tried to focus enough to find the door, but instead my eyes found someone, as crisp and clear as the sun at noon despite all the fog.

A young woman leaned against the counter, a few feet down the bar from me, contemplating her order. She was pretty tall, and pretty. Her silvery white hair was bound tight against her head. The lines of her white uniform hugged her tight and when she glanced at me her eyes were such a light blue I had to look twice to make sure I wasn’t seeing silver. 

Maybe it was the shock, maybe it was the alcohol or maybe she was just really pretty, but my heart started racing. Drunk me decided flirting would be a very good idea.

“Well you’re looking loverly tonight.” I slurred with a grin. 

“Thank you.” She scoffed and looked back at the menu.

“Your hair looks like starlight,” I stepped closer to her. She didn’t step away from me. 

“You’re drunk.” She sighed.

“So get drunk with me.” I touched her hand.

She stared into my eyes, she almost looked happy to see me. She didn’t draw away, didn’t move, she just stared as if she were trying to pick me apart into little puzzle pieces. I couldn’t believe I was actually getting anywhere, that she hadn’t told me to leave yet when I was this out of it. Was she pitying me, or was she actually interested? 

Maybe she had a thing for scruffy lushes. 

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and continued staring at me, the hard lines of her face softening.

I moved on a whim and kissed her. For a second, I thought she kissed me back. Then I felt the hand connect with my face, and I stepped back in shock, to see her red faced, her shoulders hunched and her fists clenched.

“I can’t believe you. I respected you so much.” She huffed and turned to go.

The bartender who had watched this entire exchange sighed and said to me, “Man, I don’t care if you take the pretty girls home at the end of the night, but don’t scare them off before they can buy anything.”

“Sorry, Max.” I said, still holding my face where she struck me. I was sure I hadn’t imagined her kissing me back, but as she pointed out, I was also very drunk.

I flew home pretty unsteadily, but I had gotten good at drunk landing. I no longer needed to crash into the front yard at Patch. I did however, forget to turn back into a man and wondered why the doorknob was so far away. 

Once I’d figured that out, and managed not to hit my head on said doorknob, I went upstairs to check on Ruby. I looked in and found her and Yang both sound asleep and sighed. I guess I would have to mend bridges tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I found only more trouble, in the presence of my least favorite Atlesian general leading a parade of Knights into the Vale plaza. I lurked nearby, on the corner between the dust shop and the bakery, waiting with my arms crossed for Jimmy to finish his speech. I was a little bit surprised to find he was good at talking to the public, he didn’t bark an order even once. He gathered quite a crowd, and not just the Beacon graduates he was looking to recruit. 

I kept my eyes peeled though, looking for a flash of a mask, a streak of red that might be the White Fang’s symbol, but things were relatively quiet, so I found I could actually listen to what he had to say.

“Ladies and gentlemen, our number one priority in Atlas is to ensure the continued safety and success of humanity at large. Our soldiers work constantly to protect our people of all walks of life, but some work can be too much for men alone, the price too great, the casualties too high.” Ironwood paused and gestured to the Atlesian Knights gathered behind him, “When we face such great odds we turn to the Knights of the Atlesian military. No force is more efficient, more protective, or more precise. For more information on them, please turn your attention to Miss Winter Schnee.”

The clack of heels drew my attention away from him, and to the person climbing on the platform with him. My heart dropped into my stomach. The woman I hit on last night was little Winter Schnee? 

She was far from little anymore, I realized. She was wearing an Atlas military uniform, espousing all the great examples of the Atlesian knights protecting her family, protecting all the people of Atlas. 

If I had known she was going to be among the presenters, I would have checked again for faunus dissenters, given her family's reputation. Thankfully, the crowd stayed peaceful throughout the demonstration. Maybe I would have a lucky day after all.  
When they finished up, Winter lead the Knights away and Ironwood stepped down from the platform to take questions, shakes hands and trade business cards. 

I waited until the crowd thinned and made my way up to him, “Jimmy.”

“It’s James or General.” He glared at me for a few moments before extending his hand, “Good to see you, Qrow.”

“You too, General.” I shook his hand, “What’s all this fuss about anyway?”

“Using the G.P. Industries’ research, we’ve been able to improve the Atlesian Knights like never before.” He smiled.

“Yes, they really are quite remarkable.” Miss Schnee clacked back onto the platform, hands clasped behind her back.

“Really? Do tell.” I smirked at her.

“Our entire fleet is now capable of assessing threat levels based on aura, and we have had a marvelous success rate with keeping crime down in Atlas once we were able to get them out of the prototype stage.” She glared at me.

“Huh, how about Mantle?” I raised an eyebrow.

“The new Knights have yet to be added to the Mantle garrison,” she said.

“I wonder why.” I rolled my eyes.

“Well, we’re hoping to take the research much further,” Ironwood interrupted.

“Yes, if all goes well, soon they might be able to generate auras.” Winter stepped closer to us.

“Auras? Plural? You’re talking more than Geppetto’s daughter?” I asked Ironwood.

“Well it’s a possibility. . .”

“It would be for the safety of Atlas.” Winter snapped.

“It would be wrong.” I clenched my fists, “Putting people's’ souls in machines.”

“Qrow, it’s not quite that serious,” Ironwood tried to clap me on the shoulder.

“It’s people’s lives, people’s very beings.” I drew away from him.

“It would only be semi-sentient machines.” Ironwood insisted.

“Think about that statement, Jimmy.” I said, “Is this what Geppetto wanted for the world? An army of half alive robots!”

“Keep your voice down, Qrow, you are talking about top secret Atlas military research.” Ironwood loomed over me, “You were given clearances and signed confidentiality agreements, now I expect you to uphold them.”

“Fine, I’ll keep my mouth shut, but know that I disagree with all of this,” I gestured at their loaded trucks at the edge of the plaza, “I don’t think this is what Geppetto wanted.”

“Ask him yourself when he returns to the field.” Winter crossed her arms.

“I will.” 

“Fine.” She snapped.

“Fine.” I turned to go report to Ozpin, what a day it had been.

After a stern talking to from the headmaster about how I really shouldn’t argue with the commander of a foreign military power in the downtown square, I made my way back to my usual hole in the wall drinking hideout. I was later than usual, already through half my flask by the time I arrived. When I stepped through the door saw her, Winter Schnee once again leaning on the bar.

I gulped and blushed as I remembered my actions from the night before, and our argument today. Probably the best thing for me to do would be to turn around and find another bar where I could drink myself under the table, but something made me stay. 

I was honestly amazed that the little kid from all those years ago, was the soldier at the bar. I also realized the last time she saw me I had been a relatively happy man, she didn’t see me at rock bottom, but I certainly hadn’t climbed too far from it. 

I wanted to leave and yet I wanted to stay and apologize. I decided on the latter and crossed the room to her. I told myself it was the heat of the alcohol and the beat of the music that had my heart pounding as I tapped her on the shoulder.

“Hey, Miss Schnee, I--”

“Don’t.” She interrupted me, downed a glass of whiskey and gulped as she swallowed. I stepped back to give her some space, somewhat disappointed, only for her to grab my wrist. I froze and she closed the space between us with a kiss.

“Don’t talk.” She continued her statement as she drew away, red in the face she tossed some lien on the bar and her hand slid from my wrist down to mine. 

Her skin hot against my hand, she lead me from the bar. Part of me said, no this was a dumb, terrible bad idea, but I kept walking obediently behind her. As we got to her hotel room, the drunk, pathetic and intrigued part of me screamed Hell yes!

Winter Schnee was very grown up indeed.


	19. The Paths We Take

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crescent Rose and capes. . .

When I opened my eyes, it was morning. I bolted upright and grabbed my scroll on the nightstand. I sank back with relief that I wasn’t late for work, only to realize I was lying in a strange bed, and--after lifting the covers to confirm--I was naked. 

I scratched my head, I didn’t think I was that drunk last night. I glanced around the room, suitcases here and there. Then I glanced to my left and saw her. Winter Schnee with all her long silvery white hair spilling around her, she was already awake, sitting up and looking pensive. As the night before came flooding back to me, I hoped she didn’t regret it, I certainly didn’t. She sat leaning over the edge of the bed, wearing only a large dress shirt - my dress shirt - where was my cape? I leaned forward and spotted it discarded on the floor at the foot of the bed, no more tattered than usual.

I leaned back against the headboard, Winter didn’t look like she had anything to say, and I wasn’t really sure where to begin. I sighed and glanced out the window. We had best figure this out soon, I did only have an hour before I had to get to work.

“I have work soon,” Winter echoed my thoughts. 

“Me too,” I clasped my hands together, unsure of what to do with them. After a moment of awkward silence, I said, “I enjoyed last night.”

“Me too.” Winter sighed.

“I never did get to apologize for the other night, I was drunker than I should have been. I’m sorry.” I scratched my head.

“I was harsher than I should have been,” She turned towards me, “It has been a long time since we had last seen each other. I wish we had seen each other more.”

“No you don’t.” I laughed.

“I’ve always admired you, since you saved me as a child.” She leaned into me.

“That was a long time ago,” I sighed, “You know I’ve got a niece as young as your sister and a d-a niece who’s two years younger.”

“Weiss is almost through junior combat school.” Winter mused.

“Yang too.” I said, “Ruby should be making her own weapon soon, and starting next year. She can’t wait to be a huntress”

“Sounds like they’re going to follow in the family business.” Winter mused.

“Not too closely, I hope.” I sighed, “Why did you join the military?”

“I hated my family,” Winter said, “Why did you decide to become a huntsman?”

“I hated my family.” I sighed, “Most of them anyway.” 

“I remember your sister was on your team, she looked so much like you.”

“Yeah, her I didn’t hate, still don’t agree with her either.”

“Weiss is the only member of my family I get along with at all.” she sighed.

I thought about that train ride, the person I was, the person I had become. “Winter, there’s over a decade of age difference between us, I’m almost old enough to be your father.”

“My father is an old crotchety man who will do nothing other than continue to run my family’s name through the mud.” Winter clenched her fists, “He is far older than you, and far crueler.”

I shrugged, “It’s been years since you’ve seen me in battle, I’m not as wide eyed as I was once.”

“The General said you were still as strong as you were mouthy.” she tilted her head down and I pushed a lock of her hair out of her face.

“It’s rare that Jimmy and I see eye to eye, but I’ll have to thank him for that.”

“You really should call him General,” Winter pressed.

“I’ve known him long enough that I’ve earned the right to annoy him.” I shrugged, “I can’t believe what he’s got planned for those Knights though.”

“It really is for the benefit of Atlas, and the world as a whole.” Winter drew back.

“Is it for the benefit of the world as people? Robotic soldiers who are almost people, but not quite?” I asked. 

“They can prevent human casualties,” Winter crossed her arms, “They can save lives.”

“Can they? Or could they be worse than the Grimm?” 

“How dare you.” She stood up.

“I’m just saying I don’t know that we ought to trust something with the power of an aura but without the soul behind it. I don’t know if that is a good mix.” I shrugged, “It could be a danger to humanity.”

“Get out!” Winter demanded.

“Fine, Ice Queen.” I got up, “I will, however, I need my shirt back.”

That was one awkward commute to work. Winter and I ended up going the same direction for awhile, when we finally parted ways we both turned to each other as if to say something. I opened my mouth just as she opened hers, in the end nothing was said, we both glared and turned away. As I walked away I looked back over my shoulder and saw her looking back at me. Winter Schnee was not done with me yet.

Despite my less than pleasant parting with Winter, a certain sunny niece of mine ensured that I didn’t have too much time to spend brooding when I got to Signal.

“G’morning, Uncle Qrow,” she grinned knowingly as I walked onto Signal’s training grounds.

“It’s Mr. Branwen in class, Yang.” I sighed, already exasperated..

“Isn’t that the same shirt you wore yesterday, Mr. Branwen?” Yang asked, smugly innocent about it.

“I always wear this for combat.” I said.

“Yeah, but you didn’t wash it at home last night like usual,” She wiggled her eyebrows at me.

“Don’t make me give you extra rounds of sparring, Xiao Long.” I said.

“Wouldn’t be a problem, Uncle Qrow.” Yang touched her fists together and her gauntlets expanded.

“Is this the latest version of Cimber Elia?” I asked.

“It’s Ember Celica!” Yang punched the air and a shell blasted out and her semblance lit her hair on fire.

“You have way too much fun with that,” I chuckled and noticed my other students were staring at my flaming niece with a lot of concern.

I turned to the rest of the class, “Alright, kids, it’s time to get serious. Everyone break into pairs, try to spar with someone you haven’t before.”

I noticed there was an odd number of students today, and no one seemed particularly keen on sparring with Yang even though her hair had gone out. I sighed and stepped towards her, “Xiao Long, spar with me.”

“Hand to hand combat only, no weapons.” I shouted to all the students as I set my scythe down.

“But Uncle Qrow, I just finished upgrading the shell chambers.” Yang pouted.

“It’s Mr. Branwen, and that may be so, but even with better shell chambers, it is harder to teach you how to deal with an opponent with a larger range, when I am that opponent.” I cracked my knuckles, “Let’s dance.”

Yang launched herself at me and I sidestepped, but she was prepared for my dodge and tried to sweep my legs with her left leg. Instead I caught her leg and demonstrated how easily I could bend - and even break her leg - if her attack had failed like that in actual combat. She pulled away, and did manage to take my balance with her second attack, but I spun out of it and retaliated. The match went on for awhile longer, until the sparring clock that dictated the length of matches went off, and we both sat down to rest.

“Breathing pretty hard there, old man.” Yang teased.

“What’s your excuse, then?” I asked. We laughed and after a moment I asked, “Was Ruby mad at me last night?”

“She thought you were being unfair,” Yang shrugged.

“Heh, kids,” I ran my hands through my hair.

“She just wants to be like Mom, she doesn’t think she’s good enough, she doesn’t think her designs are good enough either.” 

“She’s been designing a scythe?” 

“Yeah, she’s been sketching it everyday. Yesterday, she suddenly changed it all around.” Yang said, “She insisted that she needed to work a spear into it somehow.”

“Hmmm. . .”

“So why didn’t you make it home last night, eh Uncle Qrow?” Yang waggled her eyebrows.

“Stop acting like your dad, believe me, you really don’t want to know.” I winked at her.

“Ewww you’re gross, Uncle Qrow.” She got up to find another sparring partner as I laughed, but I had to wonder if Winter thought that too. 

Even if I asked her though, I wasn’t sure she would ever tell me, as much as I shared with her, I still knew almost nothing about her, and she knew nothing about me. It wasn’t like with Summer, our history wasn’t just inherently there, entwined together, if I wanted to know Winter Schnee, I would have to apologize, and actively seek out who she was. That day wouldn’t come for a long while though,

Instead, there was someone else I had to make things right with as soon as possible. After work, I dodged Ozpin’s calls. I wanted a little more time in Vale, in Patch. I headed to a combat boutique in the shopping district. Summer didn’t live long enough to give her a cape as she surely would have, if she had seen Ruby become a Huntress, so it was my turn. I picked one imbued with protective dust, and on a whim I picked a red one, but in Summer’s style.

Something from both her parents, even if she would never know, it fit with her name too. The designer made pins as well, and I saw the same flower design Summer had worn, the same rose that was on her gravestone. I bought the cape then but I ordered that emblem for later.

When I returned to the house on Patch I found Ruby in the backyard, sitting under a tree and sketching just like Yang promised. I had the cape wrapped in a package held behind me.

“Drawing something, kiddo?” I asked.

“Nothing,” Ruby muttered and looked away, the sketchbook clutched to her chest. 

“How about you take a little break?” I waved the package in front of her.

“Really?” she set the sketchbook down as she took the package from me. She tore it open eagerly, and gasped when she pulled out the cape.

“It’s the style your mom wore, but red, for Ruby.” I said.

She stood up and tried it on, “I love it, Uncle Qrow.”

“I’m glad, hey kiddo, I know you want to be a Huntress, and you want to be like your mom, and be this amazing fighter, and hero, but you still have to be careful. I may have been harsh the other day, but what would you have done if I hadn’t been there to kill the Beowolf?”

“I’m guessing that running is not the answer you are looking for?” Ruby grinned at me, it was impossible to stay mad at that face.

“Anything that is not dying is the answer that I am looking for,” I sighed, “So I was thinking, maybe we should get around to making that scythe you’ve been sketching so you have a way of dealing with Beowolves should you get it in your head to visit your mom’s grave again.”

Ruby lunged for her sketchbook and tripped on her cape in doing so, “No, please! The designs are definitely not ready!”

I laughed, “Just the other day, you said you were working out the final glitches, what changed?”

Ruby sighed, “If my mom used a spear, and you’re a sword expert too, and even Dad used swords, then I want some kind of stabbing option with my scythe too. Up until now, it’s just been a sniper rifle and a scythe, and a scythe doesn’t really stab. . .”

“I hear you, how about you let me see what you’ve got?” I asked.

“But they’re really, really bad!” Ruby pleaded.

“Hey, I’m not a teacher for nothing.” I shrugged.

Ruby relented and the two of us sat down to look at her sketches. The first one had a spearhead sticking up from the blade end of the handle, the second one had it adjacent to the curve of the scythe, the third had it on the lower end of the handle.

“This last design could work, if we just shorten it a bit,” I pointed at it.

“Really?” 

“Definitely,”

“Ooooh I can’t wait, it’s going to be amazing, Uncle Qrow! It’s going to be the most amazing weapon ever!” She squealed with glee, “I gotta show Yang!”

She got up and ran towards the house, shouting for her sister. I sighed and leaned back against the tree. A squawk in the branches above let me know I was not alone.

“They’re growing up, Raven.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, more will be coming ASAP!


	20. Traveling Difficulties

Ruby had been using her scythe for about two months the first time I heard about the Maidens. I found out not so much because Ozpin wanted me to do anything about them but because he felt I needed a warning. We met in his office the night before I was supposed to leave for a trip, one I never thought that I would be taking again. 

“You’re going to Atlas, and of your own volition?” Ozpin asked.

“Geppetto said he needed to see me.” I hadn’t seen the old man since before Ruby was born, I thought he would be glad to know we were okay, even if I was an even worse drunk.

“There’s something you need to be aware of before you go to Atlas this time,” Ozpin leaned over his desk, “What’s your favorite fairy tale?”

“Bandits don’t really tell their children stories, not about anything that’s worth remembering.” I shrugged.

“Well, then let me tell you something that is worth remembering.” Ozpin put on his teacher mode and told me the story of the four seasons. I told him it was cute and he told me it was true. To prove it, a brown haired woman in golden boots strode into Ozpin’s office, Amber the Fall Maiden. 

I still wasn’t thoroughly convinced these women could pack that much more power than any well trained Huntsman or Huntress until I saw one in action as Ozpin said I would. The reason he told me was that they believed they had identified the Spring Maiden and believed she was headed to Atlas.

“Atlas is the least spring-like place, have you seen it on a map lately?” I asked.

“Your sarcasm is noted.” Amber snapped.

“While it does seem unusual for someone with her abilities,” Ozpin brought up a holographic picture, “It is not at all unusual for a militant Faunus to target the SDC.”

The image showed the headshot of a young woman with black hair streaked with teal, and two long fangs that curved down over her chin. 

“Her name is Viridian Moss,” Amber said, “Up until two years ago she was a student at Shade Academy, but one night she simply vanished and was later reported seen among the White Fang members, identified by her fangs and hair.”

“What makes you so sure she is this new Spring Maiden?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Right before she disappeared the former Spring Maiden, Heather Glade, died in Mistral.” Amber gestured at the screen and pictures of rubble, smashed towns and a ransacked factory appeared, “Furthermore, eye witness accounts, and the amount of destruction she leaves in her wake.” 

“So we’re going to stop her from attacking the SDC in Atlas?”

“Correction, I am going to stop her, you are going to help me find her.” Amber said.

“Excuse me, but I’m not as helpless as I look,” I glared at her.

“I don’t mean to hurt your pride, but really, I did not want to be working with someone who smells like they slept in a barrel of whiskey.”

“Ooh I’m sorry, I thought we were adults who were past pettiness here.”

Ozpin almost laughed but turned it into a cough halfway through, “Qrow, Amber, both of you, please try to get along if only for the sake of saving lives. I have always admired the cause of the White Fang but since that new leader of theirs took power, they have been more violent than ever. However noble their sentiments, we cannot let them rain fear on Remnant as that would only bring more enemies.” 

“So what’s the plan?” I asked Oz, not Amber, but of course she answered.

“We will travel immediately under General Ironwood’s escort to Atlas, once there you may conclude whatever business you have with G.P. Industries, and then you will begin reconnaissance for signs of the White Fang’s presence. I hear you’re good at that, and we will need to act as quickly as possible to prevent the most casualties.”

“Hmmm, I could do that, or I could get their faster than old Ironbones,” I winked at Ozpin and shifted right there in his office. I had the good graces not to break his windows this time around, but I was down the elevator and flying across Beacon before Amber could get one more snarky comment out. There was an airship waiting for us at the Vale port, and I knew I had to get on it, I just didn’t feel like walking the whole way there with Amber’s attitude. 

I happened to land on a lamppost at the port with an interesting vantage point. Jimmy and a certain Atlas Specialist waited on the port in front of a large Atlas ship. Winter was pacing back and forth, and Ironwood stood with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Schnee, I know you’re worried about your father, but would you just stand at attention or even at ease, just stop going in circles?”

“I am not worried about my father.” Winter snapped to attention.

“It’s only natural for a daughter to worry about her parent,” Ironwood gestured sympathetically at her.

“I am disowned as far as he is concerned,” Winter glared at him, “And I would appreciate it if you didn’t talk to me as if I were a child. I am his child, but I have not been the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company for years, and I would like to be treated as the soldier that I am, not the princess that he tried to make me.”

Ironwood blinked in shock and after a moment Winter turned bright red and squeaked out a terrified, “Sir.”

Well that was weird. I hadn't realized things were so tense among the Schnees, of course with what I knew of Jacques it only made sense.

Whatever Ironwood was going to say to Winter was cut off as two Atlesian Knights flanked his right and drew his attention away from her. She stood there freaking out, and I saw my chance. With none of them looking, I dove through the ship’s door and searched for the quarters labeled Sp. Schnee. Specialist Schnee. Delighted, I found it unlocked and entered.

It wasn’t long before I heard voices on the ship.

“So now we are just waiting for Qrow.” Ironwood said.

“From what I understand, Mr. Branwen will be finding his own transportation to Atlas.” Amber’s voice snapped.

“Are you sure?” Winter asked.

“Yes, Ms. Schnee, I am very sure.” 

“Specialist Schnee,” Winter corrected. 

Orders were barked for the ship to take off, and I congratulated myself on stowing away on a ship I was actually supposed to be on, when Winter entered the room and slammed the door behind her. The lights were off in her cabin so for a moment, I saw only her eyes in the darkness, and knew she must see mine glowing red. 

In an instant she had the lights on and lunged forward, saber drawn. I dodged and squawked at her as she lunged past me. I tugged on the hair in her bun lightly and flew back towards the ceiling as she stared in shock at this bird in her quarters. 

She lowered her saber and held her hair, “How did you get in here, little bird?” 

Little? 

I flew to the floor and shifted back into a man. I had to admit, I was really impressed that she didn’t scream. She did, however drop her saber and fall backwards against the metal foot of her bed, creating a loud clang. I flinched as a moment later we heard a knock on the door.

“Is everything okay in there, Specialist Schnee?”

I stared at Winter with pleading eyes, “Yes.” She said after a moment.

When we heard the footsteps depart from the door, I silently celebrated, only for Winter to vault herself off the floor and jab her finger in my face.

She talked in the angriest whisper I had ever heard, “What the hell are you doing here? How dare you barge into my cabin without my knowledge or permission! What do you think you are doing? How did you even get in here? Can’t you just travel on a ship like a normal person? And were you just a bird? For Gods’ sakes, Qrow!”

I grinned and shrugged my shoulders. Only for her to raise her hand as if to strike me.

“Do not give me that look, do not even think about charming your way into my bed. Not now, not here, I am far too angry to sleep with you right now, you need to get out of here, right now, I need to tell the General. . .” As she rambled she glanced at her left hand, counting points off distracted.

Her right hand was still precariously close to my face so I leaned in and planted a kiss on her palm, and watched her turn from pale white to strawberry in seconds as she drew back, blushing and angry.

I clutched my sides in silent laughter.

“This. Is. Not. Funny. Qrow.” She glared at me.

I raised my hands in defense, “Hear me out, Ice Queen. I am supposed to be on this ship, only no one saw me board it, but imagine the look on your boss’s face when I get off it in Atlas, huh? I know you’re mad at him right now.”

She still glared at me, but I swear I saw a spark of mischief in her eyes, “And how do you propose to go undetected until we reach Atlas? That’s a day’s journey.” 

I grinned and shifted back into a bird, and hopped around her mattress.

Winter actually laughed, “I didn’t know this about you. You’re actually kind of adorable as a bird.”

I gave an indignant squawk and she only laughed harder.

I stared her down as fiercely as a seventeen inch bird could. She stopped laughing and sighed, “I suppose this could be fun, but you’re not staying in here.”

Just when I thought things were going my way, Winter was coming at me with a scarf and before I could hop out of range she wrapped me up and scooped me up in her arms.

“You’re light as a bird too,” she remarked, grinning smugly.

I glared at her, but did not change back into a man, she covered my head with the scarf and I could just barely see through the translucent blue material as we left her quarters and moved about the ship. She approached a door labeled storage and slid it open just enough to toss me through it. 

When the scarf hit the ground, I landed as a man again as the door slammed shut. I sighed and sat down on the floor amid luggage crates. I picked up Winter’s scarf and ran it through my hands.

It was going to be a long flight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it has been awhile since the last update! Things are a little hectic for me but I should be getting back in the swing of things soon.


	21. Schnees

I was looking forward to surprising Ironwood on our arrival at Atlas, but unfortunately, when we touched down, as I waited for the ship to clear out, the storage door slid open and there stood Amber. Had Winter told her? Had she figured it out? Had she simply wanted to check on her luggage? I would never know, but I would hear for the next half hour how angry she was. 

When she finally stopped her rant to pause for breath, I stood up, Ozpin already scolding me in my head, “Look, we got off on the wrong foot, and maybe we’ll never get along, but we can get this over with and never have to see each other again, hopefully.” 

She sighed and tapped her fingers against her golden bracers, “Just get out, get inside the Schnee Manner, I’ll be back later tonight.”

I hadn’t realized that we were literally staying with Jacques Schnee. He waited at the front door of his mansion, arms crossed in front of him and foot tapping as I was the last to descend from the airship’s rant. I could feel Ironwood’s anger aimed at the back of my head but I ignored it as Schnee stepped forward towards the landing party.

“Welcome, General,” He called Ironwood forward but completely ignored Winter.

“You look well Jacques, despite the circumstances, I’m impressed.” Ironwood shook his hand.

“I’m a Schnee now, I’ve got to take after my father-in-law.” Jacques nodded to the assembled military party, “My wife has taken the children to see him, deeming it safer.”

“How is he?” Ironwood asked.

“He is him,” Jacques shook his head, “Now, let’s get your people settled in. There’s a guest room for you and Miss Amber, and I heard you were bringing in someone else?”

“Yes, Qrow Branwen.” Ironwood gestured to me. 

Smiling at Jacques Schnee is not an easy thing to do, glaring at him with hate would not get me anyone’s good graces there, except for maybe Winter, so I fought to keep my expression neutral as he surveyed me up and down.

“You haven’t changed much.” he remarked, “No blowing up my dance floor this time.”

“Your wife and daughter aren’t around for me to save this time, and that daughter,” I jabbed a thumb in Winter’s direction, “Doesn’t need my protection.”

At last Jacques glanced over at Winter, “You can stay in your old room, Winter.”

“Yes, sir.” she sighed.

With that, Schnee turned and went inside. We all followed suit, confined to fancy rooms for the rest of the day. I had never been beyond the Schnees’ sweeping dining halls, ballroom, and foyer but the shift from public to private living space was hard to distinguish. Their halls maintained the same formality that permeated the outer rooms of the manner never faded. If our house in Patch was ever that clean, it was the day it was built, ever since there was no comparison. 

I was told I was getting a small guest room, except it was the size of the master bedroom in Patch. I had very little luggage, just the bare travelling necessities, my scythe and my flask. As I sat my scythe by my bed, a butler with a mustache to rival his boss stopped by to tell me that dinner was served at seven and that I was not to wander the manner grounds without an escort, I was to respect all of the Schnees’ property, I was to dress properly for dinner, etc.

He was pretty nice about it, so I nodded as sincerely as I could. He departed and I sank back onto the very large, too soft bed. Tomorrow I had to fly the spanse of Atlas, I was going to start in Mantle where the largest concentrated population of Faunus resided, but perhaps that would be where they wanted us to look.

I was turning over the thoughts in my head, sipping from my flask, when my scroll went off. Tai and the girls knew better than to contact me when I was away on missions nowadays, and Amber was not supposed to meet with me until later that night, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, especially when I saw that Winter had sent the message.

She sent directions to her room. 

Clutching my scroll I shut my door behind me and moved through the halls as silently as I could, glad for the years of lurking in the shadows with the tribe. When I came upon Winter’s door I only knocked once before she pulled it open and pulled me inside. I admired her bedroom, twice as big as my room in Patch, most of the space occupied by a large bed draped in blue silk and a large bookshelf that took up an entire wall. Then suddenly, she grabbed me by the lapels and pressed her mouth against mine.

“I thought you were mad at me.” I said as she kissed me.

“I am.” Winter said between kisses. 

Well I certainly wasn’t going to complain. 

I kissed her back, pulling her hips against mine and pressing my mouth hard against hers.

We pulled apart only to undress each other. She pulled my cape off and started unbuttoning my shirt. I pulled her hair free of it’s bun and let it fall around her. I started to take off her uniform but it had many buttons and layers. By the time she tossed my shirt aside on the floor, I only had her overcoat off.

She ran her hands over the scars on my arms and chest as I unbuttoned her blouse, only for us to stop dead as we heard three curt knocks at the door. We had no time to move before without even waiting a moment for a response, Jacques Schnee opened her bedroom door.

“Win-” He stopped when he saw us, myself half naked, my hands in his daughter’s blouse and us pressed together inches from her large four poster bed. 

At first he just stared as the full realization of what he was seeing dawned on him, his face changed like a traffic light, from a sickly greenish yellow to angry red, “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Your daughter.” Was not the right answer. Winter pulled away and held her blouse closed, her face bright pink in embarrassment. I stood there with my arms folded over my chest, staring the old man down.

“In my own home, I can’t believe this!” He stamped into the room, “I ought to have you expelled from Atlas!”

“I would like to see you try,” I smirked, “You need me in the country, and you need to let your daughter be. She is an adult, who up until now you hadn’t shown a bit of interest in since she got here.”

“That is preposterous, Winter is free to do as she likes,” Jacques snarled, “I just didn’t realize that included men twice her age.”

“Father!” Winter snapped.

“Hey, I am not twice her age!”

The dinner that followed that exchange, was in fact, the most awkward meal of my life.

Once again, fully dressed Winter and I faced each other across the table with Jacques Schnee between us at the head of the table, scowling with a particular edge to him, as if he would break at any moment. We were joined by Ironwood and Amber, to mine and Winter’s sides respectively, and both of whom were clueless, although not unaware of the weight that hung over our end of the table. 

Jacques Schnee barked orders at servants, though I suspected he would have done that even if he wasn’t absolutely furious with us. I downed the champagne at the table like water and Winter hardly touched her meal. The clink of forks and plates rose to such as high volume that I almost couldn’t bear it, until Ironwood spoke, then I wanted it back.

“So did everyone have a pleasant afternoon in Atlas?” Ironwood asked.

“We established a base of operations at the General’s academy, Qrow.” Amber said.

I nodded in acknowledgement and the table lapsed back into uncomfortable silence. A few minutes later Ironwood hesitantly broke it,“What did you do all day, Qrow?”

Winter was not the answer, not only because Jacques interrupted, but also because I thought she would kill me for mentioning it to Ironwood, so I sighed, “Oh, went for a walk, talked a bit.” 

“That’s nice,” Ironwood set his silverware down on his cleaned plate, “Miss Schnee, are you finding it different to be home?”

“Unusual.” Winter said and took a large gulp of her champagne.

“So tomorrow, we would like you to help us hunt for the Spring maiden, however Geppetto has requested that you meet with him in the morning.”

“I look forward to it.” And I did. I looked forward to anything that wasn’t sitting next to Jacques Schnee.

The rest of the meal passed in almost silence, our grumpy host hardly said a word, and if he did it was only to order more to drink. When everyone had finished eating, Winter got up to leave, claiming jet lag. Jacques stared me down, daring me to go after her.

He must not have known many Huntsmen, because I don’t think there’s many of us who know how to say no to a dare. 

“I’m quite tired too,” I yawned and stretched as I stood up. 

“Really then?” Jacques snapped, “Please allow Klein to show you to your room.”

The mustached butler stepped up, his eyes boring into me, so that was how Schnee wanted to play it. Once shut in my room, I went over to the massive windows on the far side of the room. Unfortunately, they were not made to open, and if Schnee still remembered my accidental damage to his dance floor, then he would never let me forget intentional and damage to his windows. 

I took out my flask and sat on the very large bed. The last time I was in this house, Summer was pregnant with Ruby. The last time I was here, Summer was alive. 

I reached into my pockets, I had made a habit of carrying around the photo of Team STRQ and the photo of me and Summer. The man in the red cape who stared back at me had everything in the world. Without my team, my love, my sister, my best friend, niece or my daughter with me, the same dread that ate away at me started gnawing again. I took another swig of whiskey and closed the flask. 

It was cold without a flock.

 

Come morning, I got up bright and early to find the world too bright and too early for my liking, but I ignored the pounding in my head and went not to G.P. Industries as I was expecting, but directly to Geppetto’s own home, escorted by a still very grumpy Klein. Geppetto lived in a fairly large house, not as large as the Schnee manner, but large enough that it made the cabin in Patch look like a shed. Klein left me on his front porch, without a word. 

I knocked, expecting a servant to answer, instead the door was wrenched open barely a second later by a young girl, with tight red ringlets and gray green overalls. Except I had seen enough of Geppetto’s androids to know she wasn’t a girl, she was his PENNY.

“Salutations and welcome, sir!” she beamed at me, unusually happy for an android.

“Penny!” Geppetto called and emerged from within the house, half ambling, half running, “Don’t keep him waiting, let the poor man inside! He’s not used to our lovely Atlesian climate.”

“Oh I’m sorry, sir. Please, come right in,” Penny held open the door and gestured for me to come inside.

“Thank you.” I said to her as Geppetto ambled his way up to me.

“Qrow Branwen, as I tinker and sweat, you are here again!” The old man clasped my hand in his own, grinning.

“You’re looking well, Geppetto. I heard you were sick there for awhile, glad to see you back on your feet.” His hair was more white than orange now and though his face was more lined, he looked far happier. 

“Ah well, pneumonia is only to be expected with the climate we live in-”

“Father,” Penny interrupted, “Who is Qrow Branwen?”

“Penny dear, you mustn’t interrupt us, though I haven’t introduced you two, have I?” He smiled at her, “Qrow Branwen is an old friend of mine, and Qrow, this is my daughter, Penny.”

“Nice to meet you,” Penny extended her hand towards me.

“The pleasure is all mine,” I shook it, a little startled by how strong she was for her size. She immediately lapsed into talking about all the things that she enjoyed doing. How much she loved running, encountering animals, playing with said animals, walking in snow, killing Grimm, making her hair extra curly, coloring was a big favorite. This went on for a little while, until Geppetto could finally get a word in edgewise.

“Do you think you can go play for a while and let us talk?

“Of course.” Penny scampered off into the recesses of the house and Geppetto lead me into a sitting room in the front.

“So you finally did it,” I said as we sat down.

“In a way,” Geppetto sighed, “She’s not the girl I once knew, but she has a heart, and though she is not the one I lost, she is my daughter.”

“I can see you’re very proud of her,” I sighed.

“She’s still young, we only succeeded in building her about a year ago, but she learns quickly and there’s such a kindness to her that I thought even you couldn’t mind what she is.” 

“I’m still not overly fond of sentient robots,” I shrugged, “But if they all had hearts like Penny’s, then I think they would be okay.”

“How is your child?” Geppetto asked.

I knew it was coming, but I found I still wasn’t ready to say it, “As well as can be expected. She takes after her mother, only her mother isn’t with us anymore.”

“I am so sorry to hear that, Qrow.”

I wouldn’t be able to keep up the conversation if we kept going that way, I was already itching for my flask, so instead I asked, “Penny did mention killing Grimm, right?”

“She is quite skilled at it,” Geppetto sighed, “After a bit more work, I’m going to see about enrolling her in a Huntsmen academy.”

“Atlas?” I asked suspiciously, a sentient robot, albeit an overly happy one, was still not necessarily one I wanted learning under the most militant country of the world.

“That is what the General wants, though if I could, I would send her to Vale.” 

I was about to thank him for that when my scroll went off. 

Amber thought the Spring Maiden was on the move.


	22. A Man Among Seasons

Back at the school grounds of Atlas, Amber had set up a surveillance system of the surrounding lands, I was flying to Mantle to seek out any trace of the White Fang, before the White Fang marched on Atlas and blew it sky high. 

I saw their mark scratched on buildings and at street corners. I flew lower among the buildings and the streets. I was going to have to pretend to be a dumb bird again, and if someone shot at me this time, there would be blood and it wouldn’t be mine. 

I flew for a few hours, found a couple empty hideouts, it was late afternoon before I turned up anything promising. There were definite signs of a White Fang meeting in an old warehouse in Mantle’s dying commercial district. 

I had infiltrated meetings of the White Fang before and listened undetected more often than not, but while I was expecting guards, and at least an average crowd given the sizeable population of Faunus in Atlas. I found only barred doors, and no open windows. The roof of the building in question had two masked faunus guards. I landed behind them and quietly knocked them out.

I punched open a ventilation duct and transformed back into a bird as I hopped down. I could walk along without fear of it collapsing under me as I went. I padded along as quietly as I could. Crow feet did not inherently lend themselves to stealth but I had years of practice. I glided as far as I could through the duct, and when I heard voices through a grate I landed and peered through it. 

There were four people gathered around a table. Viridian Moss was definitely one of them, the green streaks in her hair had an almost unearthly glow to them and her fingers moved rapidfire over some documents on the table before them. The other three were masked Faunus, none of whom I recognized. I tilted my head and listened in to their whispered words.

“Schnee is moving a large shipment of dust out of his factory Friday.”

“The volatile stuff too, it’s perfect.” 

“Too perfect,” Viridian Moss interrupted, “There are forces that work against us, I wouldn’t doubt them for a moment, they’ll expect an attack on his bigger factories.”

“But if we don’t strike a big factory, how will we make an impact?” 

“There’s no other way to get the man’s attention.”

“Not necessarily, what does a man like Jacques Schnee value more than money?” Viridian asked.

“His legacy.” She tapped something on the map, I strained to see what it was through the grate, but then she looked up, her green eyes met mine and I retreated. I jumped into flight, hurdling through the vent, this loud pattering sound grew behind me and just as I made it to the roof vent, rain drops hit the vent wall below me, spattering as hard and fast as bullets.

I was not getting shot today. 

I took to the sky, just as Viridian got to the roof. I circled high and out of range but close enough that I could still see what she was doing. She moved past the unconscious guards and went to wear I punched the vent open. She reached inside and pulled out a scrap of black feather. 

She looked up at the sky and I flew towards Atlas, whoever Viridian was before she joined the radical White Fang was gone, she was a soldier.

I reported back to Amber as soon as I could, Viridian and her crew would most likely target Weiss and Whitley, Jacques Schnee’s two youngest children. Weiss was his current heir to the company since Winter had stepped down and joined the military. They were with Mrs. Schnee and Nicholas Schnee in his mountain resort home in southern Atlas. It was well protected by the mountains, concealed from detection for the most part by the surrounding terrain. Few people outside the family knew it’s location, but somehow the White Fang must have gotten wind of it. 

Arrangements were made immediately to start moving our forces to the resort home. Amber and Ironwood were on the first airship out. They would be accompanied by only a few Knights, they didn’t want to be too obvious about their intentions. More soldiers would follow later. I was to continue sweeping Mantle and Atlas for more information, so my airship would be the last out of Atlas. Winter was to stay at the academy while Ironwood was at the resort with Amber, so I thought I would get to see her more, but unfortunately when I landed for the evening she was at the academy and I was in charge of Jacques Schnee’s personal security detail at the Manner. 

I was getting ready to depart from Atlas Academy’s main hub for the manner. I admired my squad for the mission in front of our airship. I now had five soldiers and two Atlesian Knights to command. This was going to be fun. 

As if she could read my thoughts, Winter came up to stand beside me, “Be nice to them.”

“What? I wasn’t planning on having the robots beat each other up or anything.” I shrugged.

“I don’t know why you hate them so much,” Winter rolled her eyes.

“I don’t hate them, I just made money beating them up for awhile, I think some of them remember that.” I said as one of my new Knights turned to stand at attention.

“Atlesian Knights?” she asked.

“Those are the ones.” 

“I didn’t know that about you.” she said. 

“It was. . . an interesting time in my life.” I sighed.

We lapsed into silence and a few moments later she said, “Take care of my father.”

“I didn’t know that you cared about him still.”

“Probably about as much as you care for your family.” 

Family. That was a loaded word, I knew she meant the tribe, even though I hated it, part of me still felt some allegiance to it. My work in Mistral declined after I left unless it was absolutely-Ozpin-demanded-it-necessary.They were my family, Raven was my family. Summer and Ruby were my family. Yang and Tai were my family.

When I looked up from my thoughts I saw that Winter had gone, and it was just me and my troops on the airfield.

 

After arriving at the Schnee Manner, Jacques called for me. He received me in his office, scowling with his hand tracing his mustache, and a half empty bottle of bourbon in front of him. I had the feeling that drunk Schnee was angrier than sober Schnee.

“Qrow Branwen.”

“Jackie Schnee,” I grinned at him.

“Jacques,” He snapped, red faced and fuming, “I really don’t like you.”

“Why should you? I’ve only saved your family about three times now.” I scratched my head, “I guess I better stick around four time number four.”

“You’re insolent, and disgusting!” He stood up, unsteady on his feet “I wish you weren’t here!”

“Me too!” I snapped back at him, he was clearly not very good at handling his liquor.

“I wish you were at the resort.” Jacques sat back down, his head in his hands.

“What?” 

“I wish you were guarding my wife, my children.” He hiccuped. 

“Umm Jacques, is that your first bottle?” I asked.

“They are the future of this company,” He continued. I tentatively slid the bottle away from him, he didn’t seem to notice, “They are my future, they are all I have.”

“They need protected more than I, they’ve done nothing, I’ve done everything to deserve the Faunus hatred. They’re innocent. Especially Winter, she’s trying to make things better for the people of Atlas.” He rambled, “Winter doesn’t know it but I haven’t fully divested her from the company either.”

“You what?” I froze.

He looked up at me, bewildered and shook his finger at me, “Stop trying to sleep with my daughter, she deserves better than you.”

I sighed, “Remember again, I saved you all?”

Jacques found this confusing, “Oh.”

“Back to that part about not fully divesting Winter from the SDC?”

“There are still shares in her name, why?”

“That might still make her a target of the White Fang, that’s why!” I turned to leave.

“Hey!” Jacques called out when I got to the door, “Don’t forget what you told me. . . she doesn’t need saving.”

But she did.

We all did.

I left a knight and two of the soldiers at the Manner, the other three and the Atlesian Knight I ordered on an airship with me to Atlas Academy. Stormclouds gathered as we approached, I called Ironwood and told him of this little development and he said he sent Amber right away. 

As we drew nearer to Atlas I saw those stormclouds were made not by nature, but by someone, Viridian Moss floated about twenty feet in the air, facing rows of Atlas military and machines. Behind her marched about twenty White Fang militants. It was a suicide mission, and it would bring only Grimm.

It had been years since I had seen Summer use the power of her eyes, but you never quite forget how something like that looks. Had her hair been red and the light silver, I would have thought it was Summer come back to life, even with the stark contrast of the colors, I was still startled. Viridian’s eyes and hair glowed green, lines of green across her arms shimmered and radiated light like fire. 

The White Fang on the ground were locked in combat with Atlas professors and cadets. Even though we were not yet close enough to engage, we could hear Viridian’s Voice, buoyed up on the wind by her powers.

“You’re going to watch your students, your teachers and your friends slaughtered.” she laughed, “Or you’re going to give me Winter Schnee. There is no other course of action.”

In immediate response, the cadets doubled down their fire, and started to push back the White Fang, but Viridian was gathering her powers around her and with a wave of her green glowing hand she brought down a gale with enough force to nearly knock us off course. 

I watched from the cockpit as the cadets were blown back across the courtyard. Then from the midst of them I saw the soft blue glow of glyphs appearing on the ground. Winter was slowly walking towards Viridian. I ordered the pilot of the airship to open the hatch and to start firing at the Spring Maiden and ran back to the cargo bay where I and the Atlesian Knight dropped for the courtyard. The cadets were pushing against the wind, but they were making little progress and brought by the destruction and fear, Beowolves began to swarm the courtyard, bringing White Fang to fight alongside cadets for survival.

Winter ignored it all, stepping on one glyph after another until finally she stopped in the middle of the courtyard. Her saber was pointed at Viridian and her glyphs were holding her in place despite the force of the air. Glyphs twirled around her saber, as Winter prepared to strike, but she was too slow. Viridian waved her hand and the stones of the Atlas courtyard cracked and gave way as grass and vines tore through them and wrapped around Winter’s legs, holding her there, unable to move. Viridian laughed and her hands glowed with energy as she built up her next attack. Winter tore against the vines but even without being able to move she created a glyph in front of her, spinning rapidly, but would it be enough?

My wings beat under me as fast as I could, and in my chest my heart pounded, screaming that this was just like Summer, just like Summer against Salem and if I tried to help her I would only hurt her, but if I had to bring bad luck, maybe I would bring it for Viridian. She called a storm in the palm of her hand, rain, hail and wind all swirling around her and she raised her arm to throw it, as if throwing a ball at Winter. Winter’s glyph kept spinning, but as Viridian pulled her arm back on the wind up, I flew right for her, and instead of attacking as I transformed, I threw my arms around her. 

I pulled Viridian’s arms down to her sides, and the shock of my arrival was enough to shake her concentration, her power slipped, the storms started to fade and we plummeted.

I knew it was only temporary, we had only fallen a few feet when Viridian summoned a wind that knocked me away from her. I flew back towards the ground and transformed in midair again, wings beating to keep me afloat, but against her gale I all I could do was guide my descent to the courtyard. Once I neared the ground I transformed and drove my blade into the ground, to give me something with which to anchor. 

Viridian was already rising back into the sky, another storm swirling in her hand, but I had bought Winter enough time, the glyph she called in front of her materialized into a large icy Nevermore, one wide enough to shield her. 

As Viridian focused her storm on Winter’s guarding Nevermore I ran towards Winter. Viridian’s storm in her hand swirled stronger and shot towards the Nevermore. It caught it clean in the chest and the icy guardian began to crack and splinter as the force of the rains and hail began to eat at it. The Nevermore shrieked and I knew it wouldn’t be enough. Winter bent all her energy into the Nevermore, but the storm was eating through. I finally got close enough and jumped between Winter and the bird, my blade held up as a shield, thankfully big enough to catch the brunt of the force as the storm broke through and the Nevermore shattered to snow. 

The pelting rain and ice bounced off my scythe blade and some caught my arms and legs, but it was the force of the wind that was enough to knock me back into Winter and pull her free of the stems and vines that held her trapped. She screamed as they tore at her uniform and skin. We were thrown back, unable to resist the force of the wind. 

I regrettably landed on top of her, everything aching, as I processed what happened, Winter was already pulling me up, Viridian preparing for her next strike, I couldn’t stop it all, Winter couldn’t summon something else, we were trapped, but while Viridian aimed all her might at us, Amber descended from the skies, all the wrath of Fall behind her, lightning and frost to Viridian's rain and hail. 

Winter and I held each other up as we watched them duel in the sky, they were matched evenly with the power of gods it seemed, but Viridian’s reinforcements were battling Grimm, and ours had airships and guns. 

At last Amber brought Viridian down, a rush of orange light overwhelming her green and Viridian fell from the sky into the snarling, clamoring rush of Grimm. We heard the terrible screams and the ripping sounds of flesh as the Grimm tore at her. Then it was all over and faint sparks of green floated into the air, disappearing into the sky. 

“Those Maidens are something else,” Winter mumbled.

“You’re something incredible, yourself.” I said to Winter.

Amber and the cadets killed the rest of the Grimm. The White Fang were arrested. Winter’s cuts from Viridian’s strikes were bandaged, I got a drink. Ironwood thanked me. I thanked Ironwood and Amber. Amber actually acknowledged me with respect, and after swallowing a snarky comment, I managed to do the same. 

We found ourselves spending one last night in the Schnee Manner, Jacques actually shook my hand and wished me well on my journey back to Vale, as curtly and with as many moustache twitches as he could muster.

“I hope your airship is prompt, so that you may return home.” He said as I turned to go. Definitely to get home soon, but to get away from his daughter sooner.

“Thank you, Mr. Schnee” I said, “But there’s still something I have to do in Atlas.”

As I left his office I heard him calling after Winter, but the click of heels soon caught up to me in the halls.

“Miss me already?” I asked.

“You said so yourself,” Winter grinned at me, “I am something.”

 

Later that night, stretched out in bed beside Winter, she started making eyes at me for round two when of course my scroll went off. Thinking it was probably Ironwood calling to yell at me for  
something, or Ozpin with more work I almost ignored it, until I saw the name.

Ruby

I sat up frantically and gabbed for the scroll, “Ruby! What’s going on?”

“Zweeeeeeiiiii!!!!” was the only screeched response I heard from the other end.

“What?” They knew better than to call me on missions.

“Zweeeeeeiiiii!” She shrieked again.

“Slow down, talk clearly. Where are you?” I demanded. 

“I’m sorry Uncle Qrow,” she said suddenly pensieve, “I know we’re not supposed to call you but Dad said you were coming home tomorrow so I thought it would be okay to tell you some news.”

I sighed and leaned back against Winter’s headboard, “What is this news?”

“We got a dog!” Ruby screamed, and I could hear it yipping in the background.

Tai did not. Tai could not. “A dog?”

“A corgi!” Ruby added.

I rubbed my temples, “That’s. . . nice.” 

“His name is Zwei!” She said.

“That’s nice, kiddo.” 

“Oh I can’t wait for you to meet him, he’s so fluffy, and so cool!” 

“I don’t think corgis are cool. Their legs are too stubby.”

“Oh you’re wrong, Uncle Qrow, just wait until you see him.” 

“Okay, kiddo, well I gotta sleep so I can make it back on time tomorrow.”

“Love you, Uncle Qrow.”

“Goodnight, Ruby.” I hung up and sighed as I sat the scoll down on the nightstand. I turned back over towards Winter and, of course, she was snoring softly, her silvery white hair draped over her, shimmering as she breathed.

I hit my head back against the headboard and groaned.

Just my luck.


	23. Changes

I boarded the airship back to Vale like I was supposed to and found Amber was not as insufferable as I had thought. She was tugging at bandages on her hands as we descended over Vale.

“Are those from the Spring Maiden?” I nodded at the bandages.

“Yes,” Amber sighed.

“Why the long face?” I asked.

“In a way, I killed one of my sisters, Qrow.” she said, “Viridian did a lot of evil things, but she was still a Maiden.” 

“You saved a family,” I shrugged.

“At the cost of many lives, and we are now disadvantaged. We have no idea who will receive Viridian’s powers. I killed her, but I am the Fall Maiden, I can’t receive her power, and should someone else with nefarious connections be the one to inherit her strength, I don’t know that I can do this again.”

“You’ll do what you need to, that’s what we always do.” 

As we disembarked, Amber turned to me one last time, “Ozpin will be calling for you shortly, I imagine he will want the two of us to look for the Spring Maiden, now.”

“Perhaps, but I am taking a day off.” I stretched.

“What?” she blinked at me.

“There’s people I need to see at home, so I’ll answer to Oz tomorrow, you should try it. Definitely recommended after a mission like that.” I transformed and left her staring after me in the port, looking confused as if she had never heard of playing hookie before. Maidens really were something else.

I flew back to Patch like normal, and prepared to land in our drive as I had done a thousand times before, only this time as I landed, this flash of black pounced from the side of my vision. I squawked frantically as I was knocked sideways and found these heavy paws pinning my wings to the walkway. I tried to make sense of what I was seeing as this furry, big nosed face stared down and dwarfed mine panting at me. 

It was not going to end like this, after all the monsters and maniacs I had defeated I was not ending my time on this world as a corgi snack. 

I forced myself to transform just as the dog opened its mouth, only instead of jaws closing over my head, I found my face covered in saliva as I morphed back into a man and held the much less heavy corgi on my chest. 

I shivered in disgust and pulled it off me, holding it up by the scruff.

“TAI!” I shouted, just for the front door to swing open and Tai to stand there laughing.

“I see you’ve met the family pet.” 

I got up, my face slick with slobber, corgi in my hand and a stare to kill at him, “What were you thinking?”

The corgi squirmed and I had to drop him, only for it to run circles around my legs, ushering me towards the house.

“I don’t know why you’re so upset,” he said as the corgi ran up to him, panting and tail wagging, “Zwei’s a great companion.”

“Why do we have it?” I rubbed my temple.

“Honestly? Because I was thinking of going on missions again, and you’re always working, so I thought someone should be here for the girls, a bit of protection, you know?” Tai shrugged.

I stared between him and Zwei, the dog had since sat down and was wagging its tail at me. I turned my stare back on Tai, “It’s a corgi.”

“Not just any corgi though,” Tai gestured at him, “He’s a hunting dog.”

“Hunting? Like Huntsmen-hunting?” I raised an eyebrow.

“I guess you’re not familiar with them, being from that tribe and all,” Tai reached down to pet him, “They’re more common in Vacuo, and some of the more dangerous parts of Mistral, but Huntsmen have been taking canine companions on missions for ages. They’re even bred special dogs for it.”

“What makes a corgi so special that I’d want to fight a Grimm with it?” 

Tai bent and the corgi leapt happily into his arms. He held him belly up in one arm and then Tai released the soft yellow glow of his aura, to my surprise Zwei lit up just as brightly with a white glow.

“That dog has a lot of aura,” I blinked at it.

“They have them activated as puppies,” Tai dropped the glowing dog and it bounced about three feet in the air before trotting around the house, “They’re trained to follow Huntsmen through anything. They usually attach to one person in particular, though.”

“Who’s Zwei attached to?” As if I had to ask. The corgi had only been out of our sight for a few moments when I heard the shriek from behind the house.

“Zweeeeiiii!” Ruby screamed in the backyard and the dog yipped happily in response.

“So why a corgi?” I scratched my head.

“Ruby wanted a corgi, and Ozpin just happened to find one.”

“He’s from Ozpin?” 

“Yeah, he said it was the least he could do, he wants to help me get back in action.” Tai stretched.

“Of course he does.” I sighed.

“What, are you jealous?” Tai asked, smirking.

“No, that means more people in the fight against Salem, more people to avenge Summer-”

I never got to finish my statement because almost as soon as I started talking, Ruby and Yang rounded the house, and ran full tilt in my direction. Ruby flung her arms around me, followed seconds later by Yang, effectively knocking the wind out of me.

“Ewww, Uncle Qrow, you’re head’s all slimy!” Ruby pulled away and tried to touch my hair.

Zwei had trotted back around the house, “Blame the corgi.” I stared it down, it of course stared back with tail wags and wide eyes. 

That night, after I showered to remove all the dog slobber, I walked into my room to find Zwei rifling through the closet, shirts and pants tossed all over the floor.

“Bad dog!” I stepped towards him.

Zwei immediately halted what he was doing and turned to face me, his ears down and guilty. 

“Get out!” I snapped and he scampered aside to reveal what he had been digging through. On the closet floor, amid a pile of papers, Zwei had revealed Ruby’s real birth certificate, a bit crumpled but still there. I guess I hadn’t gotten rid of it yet. I knelt and picked it up, happy and torn at the same time that it existed.

I held it and ran my fingers over Summer’s name, tracing back the memories. I heard Zwei panting and looked over at him, wagging his tail at me.

“Don’t look so smug like you know,” Though I had to wonder just how smart hunting dogs were.

Then I heard a flutter of wings and Zwei barked. A dark shape appeared in the moonlight of the window. Wings. I shushed Zwei and the dog instantly obeyed. I dropped the birth certificate and got up. I went to the window and found my sister, still as a bird on the other side of the pane. I looked at Zwei sternly as I opened the window, but even as Raven hopped in, he did no more than growl.

Raven shifted to a woman and Zwei tilted his head sideways, apprehensive but not angry.

“You got a dog?” she whispered.

“Ruby and Yang missed their feathered guardian.” I said.

“I’ve been busy, Qrow, the tribe-”

“I don’t care.” I shook my head, “I’m just amazed that you want to stand there, a room away from your family and talk to me of all people.”

Raven’s cheeks flushed as red as her eyes, “Well tell me, is Tai really going on missions again?”

“Could this be worry?” I smirked. 

Raven stared me down.

“Yang is a Signal student, Ruby will be soon too. They’re growing up, Tai’s growing up too.” I shrugged.

“Will you go with him?” she asked.

“Of course not, he may have withdrawn into this house but his pride has not.”

“He’ll take stupidly dangerous missions.” Raven insisted.

“He always did.”

“But without a partner?” 

It was my turn to stare her down.

After a few moments she said, “Just keep him out of Mistral.”

“I can try.” I shrugged as she stepped towards the window, “Hold on,”

She stared as I went over to the closet, clothes strewn about, and picked up Ruby’s crumpled birth certificate. I extended it towards Raven. She took it from me curiously.

“Hide that in a hole in Mistral.” I said.

She took it from me, her eyes full of questions but as usual, she asked none. Raven shifted into bird form, squawked and was gone.

I stared after her as she went, nothing but feathers in the wind. 

“Who were you talking to?” I turned to see Ruby in my doorway, fluffy polkadot pajamas and bedhead.

“Just myself, kiddo.” I grinned as much as I could.

“Are you going away again?” She blinked at me.

“Only for awhile, a Huntsman’s work is never done.” he said.

“I know.” Ruby sighed and left the room. Zwei trotted after her happily, already running around her ankles and guiding her towards her room. Maybe he wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all.

Tai’s theory of Zwei’s guarding ability was soon tested. He went on a short mission in Northeastern Vale and I headed outside the kingdoms with Amber a few days later. We were in Southeast Sanus, traveling between villages. Amber said that Maidens have a propensity for popping up outside of the main cities, it was something about kind hearts in places of strife, but they still weren’t really sure. Despite having a Maiden on the hunt, we had no luck in locating the Spring Maiden. Amber was particularly upset about it, given what she had to do, but we moved on. I returned to Patch, relieved to find it still in one piece, the girls and the dog hadn’t destroyed anything, and a couple days later Tai returned, not particularly worse for wear. 

So our lives began a new pattern, Tai and I both took on missions, and though we tried our best, the girls were still alone sometimes, but Zwei seemed to serve his purpose keeping them happy, and as time went by I no longer worried about him keeping them safe - well I no longer worried much. 

Fortunately for the people of Atlas, Ironwood got a lot better at his job, but this was unfortunate for me as I found less opportunities to see my favorite specialist. I got some calls from Winter, we didn’t see each other much, but when we did see each other, we couldn’t get enough of each other, especially when she visited me in Vale. Tai and his daughter made their usual remarks when I would up and disappear for a night or two. I wouldn’t say that we were dating, but we were certainly enjoying each other’s company, even if we fought like cats and dogs whenever we weren’t on top of each other.

Time began to pass, missions and teaching blurred it all together. Ruby turned fourteen and I gave her the pendant I ordered for her. Then somehow she up and turned fifteen before I could blink. Things were looking up for us, Yang graduated from Signal, and I had two more years of teaching Ruby.

I was actually almost happy, I had planned to taper off on the missions, to stay near Ruby and watch her grow up for a while, but I was on a mission with Amber when I got a call.

“Hello, Qrow.” Ozpin growled, “You didn’t tell me that your daughter has silver eyes.”


	24. Rules

I was back in Vale within a day. I marched on Beacon, Glynda tried to placate me on my way up to Ozpin, but I ignored her and violently hit the elevator button in silence. Glynda tapped her foot beside me, anxious and glaring at me. I knew Ozpin was waiting, I clenched my fists the entire way up to the office. When the elevator door opened, Glynda tried to grab my wrist but I pulled away and stepped into the office.  
“You are not teaching her!” I shouted as soon as I saw his gray hair peeking over the top of his chair.

Ozpin spun around in his big fancy chair, tea mug held slack, “Qrow, I am a professor, you can hardly expect me to do anything else. She wants to be a great Huntress, as you know.”

I jabbed a finger in his direction as I crossed the room,“She is not learning to use her eyes, not yet.”

“They are her eyes, not yours, Qrow. She could help so many people, she wants to help people.” Ozpin set his mug down and glanced at Glynda. She hung back near the elevator, her crop ready should I cross the line, but I wasn't thinking about that, I was only thinking about Ruby. 

“She will help people, by being her, by being a huntress.” I clenched my fists, "But not by learning something that dangerous, this young. How did you even find out? How did you even find her?"

"I did know that you had a daughter, Qrow. I may never have met the girl, but when she turns up, stopping a robbery in downtown Vale looking just like Summer and fighting just like you, it's not difficult to figure out."

"She stopped a robbery in downtown Vale?" I rolled my eyes. That was a very Summer thing to do, and I guess a very Ruby thing as well.

“Yes, that's something we can talk about later, but right now I think we should consider what Summer would-”

“Summer, absolutely wouldn’t.” I said, “Summer would roll over in her grave, except there isn’t anything left of her in her grave, thanks to those powers, thanks to the missions you sent her on. I’ll tell you what Summer would have wanted. She would have wanted Ruby to be a child, she would have wanted her to have a life of her own making, not decided for her because of her eye color.”

“Summer saw her eyes as a gift, she said this,”

“They got Summer killed,” I snapped.

“And they saved many lives,” Ozpin replied, “Whether or not she is prepared to use them, there will be people in this world who will want to destroy her for them. That is why I would like her to come to Beacon.”

“So you can call up Eirian and have him teach her how to use her eyes?” I asked.

“No, not yet,” Ozpin raised his hand defensively, “It is not my intention that Ruby learn about her eyes right now, she is still a child, I know this. I would just like to have her at my school, where she can learn to be a Huntress.”

“She could have learned at Signal for two more years!”

“Qrow,” Ozpin sighed, “She’s advanced in so many regards, she is on par if not above many of the incoming freshman class. She has her own complete, unique and quite deadly weapon, she's got an innate sense of justice, she's a bit unorthodox, and perhaps a little immature, but I believe she has potential and she is ready for this. Are you?”

“I’m not.” I admitted.

“Such is the way with children, you never want to see them grow up. Never want to believe it when they do, but they do, and they sure do surprise you.” Ozpin offered me a mug, I shook my head and reached for my flask.

“She’ll be fine,” Glynda said, at last stepping up to the desk with us. She smiled at me and patted my shoulder

“You can’t guarantee that.” 

“No one ever can.” Ozpin said.

 

I departed from Ozpin, well on my way to the bottom of three bottles. I ended up in my favorite dive, staring at the photo of Team STRQ, when I heard a familiar voice behind me, that nearly made me jump out of my skin.

“Hey cutie.” 

Drunk me did not respond to that very well, I used to call Summer that, no one called me that. I tucked the photo in my shirt as I whirled around unsteadily and in the blur of my vision, all I saw was white. Soft hands steadied me, and pushed me upright, warm and cold at the same time. As I focused I saw her hair was not the dark red I had hoped for, it was silvery white.

“Just how much have you had, Qrow?” Winter asked.

“Not enough.” I reached for my glass on the bar to find only empty space. I had the feeling I had been cut off, “Hey, Max, where’s my bourbon?”

“You’re not getting anymore,” Winter pulled me away from the bar, she didn’t pull particularly hard but I seemed to flow after her, like I was being dragged through water. I followed her among the blur of the lights until they faded out, leaving behind a silvery white blur.

 

When I woke again with a pounding in my head, I was in a hotel room. I was clothed, and everything hurt, I knew I had been too drunk. I glanced around and saw familiar suitcases strewn across the floor, and my cape nicely folded on a bedside table. I saw that Winter was not beside me, but standing by the window, clothed in her starched uniform, her arms folded across her chest.

“What happened? Why were you drinking so much?” she asked.

“I’m okay,” I stretched and found parts of me ached that I didn’t know I had.

“I don’t believe you,” Winter said, "What happened?" 

“I don’t either, but I have to get to work.” I tried to get up and found that the world was spinning far faster than I could keep my balance.

“It’s Saturday.” Winter sighed.

“Oh.”

“So, if you won't tell me what happened, will you tell me who’s Summer?” she asked.

All the warning bells and whistles went off in my head, “What?”

“Summer. You were rambling about her before you passed out. Why?” Winter asked.

“Summer,” I couldn’t process what she had actually said. "What did I say?" 

"You said a lot." Winter sighed, "You said you wanted to see her, most of all." 

Did I tell her about Ruby? Did I tell her about silver eyes and Salem? 

I wouldn't get the chance to find out what exactly she knew, Winter fixated on one part in particular.

"Did I say anything else?"

“Was she the other person on your team?” Winter looked away, her fists clenched.

“She was.” I sighed. "What else did I say?"

“Do you love her?” Winter wouldn’t look at me.

“I do.” 

“I see.” Winter crossed the room.

As she reached for the door, she suddenly whirled on me, “I know we’ve never promised each other anything, but you could have told me! You could have said something, anything before now, I just would have wanted to know. I would have understood, I didn't need ”

“Winter-”

“It’s impractical, yes, we are quite far apart in age, but I am an adult, Qrow. I thought you of all people would have known that about me.”

“Summer is dead.” 

Winter stopped in her tracks, “Oh.”

No words seemed adequate. We both opened our mouths to speak and found only silence. I gulped and reached inside my shirt, I found the slightly crumpled photo of Team STRQ and pulled it free. Summer stared back at me and I held it towards Winter, at last finding the words, “She was our leader, and she was damn good, and kind, and I miss her.”

Winter stepped towards me and touched the edges of the photograph, “What happened to her?”

“Nothing good.” I sighed, "It was my fault." 

Winter’s hands left the photo and for a moment they rested on mine. I felt her mouth against my forehead, but I didn’t look at her as she left. All I could see was so many years ago, how similarly I had treated Summer. She was gone, but there still lingered warmth.

I didn’t see Winter again until I brought Ruby and Yang to the Vale airport.Yang tried to act suave about the whole thing but Ruby was unabashedly elated. Tai had left for a mission two days before. He had been even worse than me, making sure that they were completely packed, their weapons and combat outfits pressed and polished, snack bags at the ready, all that good stuff. While Tai channeled his worry into doing things for them, I channelled it into being pissed off, but did my best to be no more grumpy than usual. I tried not to feel bad that Ruby was so happy to leave. Beacon wasn't that far away, I told myself, Beacon was the best thing that ever happened to me. But as I watched them as we walked, was the little girl stuffing her face with chocolate chip cookies really ready for Beacon? I stopped grumbling long enough to say goodbye. I hugged both Yang and Ruby, and though I didn't want to let either of them go, I hung onto Ruby the longest. Despite this, in the blink of an eye they shot like elastic towards the boarding ramp and I was left waving on the port terminal. I sighed, but felt a bit better that Ruby looked back at me, clutching Crescent Rose and grinning.

They boarded a ship to Beacon. My stomach still twisted with knots as I watched them disappear inside. I waved to their backs and sighed, with Tai on a mission it would be me alone in Patch for a change.

“She looks like you.” 

I lowered my hand and turned to see Winter, hands on her hips, watching me.

“Fancy seeing you here,” I stepped closer to her, close enough that I loomed over her and winked, “What brings a gal like you to a place like this?”

“I saw my sister on her own airship to Beacon.” I could see her fighting for composure, a strawberry blush creeping into her cheeks, “She looks a lot like you,”

“Yang takes after her mother, my twin.” I shrugged and stepped closer, trying to keep her from diverting the conversation away. We were in a busy port, but Winter had just the right amount of constitution that I didn’t have to be lewd at all to make her lose it. I just had to flirt. 

I reached up to tuck a loose lock of hair behind her ear but she batted my hand away. She was not having any of this. “That’s not who I mean, and you know it.” 

“I had a hand in raising both of my nieces,” I grinned at her, but she only glared at me. I slipped my hand around her waist, and she jumped as my hand wrapped the small of her back, “Don’t worry about it.”

She suddenly furrowed her brows and pushed me away as she backed up, “I can’t believe you!”

“What? Too handsy for a terminal?” I raised an eyebrow. Winter shook her head, furious.

“I should have known, getting involved with Ozpin’s lapdog, the General said there wasn’t enough spine to go around in Vale.” Winter huffed.

“Hey, excuse me, Princess, that's a little uncalled for. Also, my family is none of your business, if we want to talk about complicated situations, why don’t we talk about Jackie dearest?” 

“Eugh! You are impossible, everytime I try to get close to you, everytime I try to get to know you, you-you build these walls and shut me out!” she pointed at me.

“You do the exact same thing! You will complain for literal hours about how awful and twisted your old man is, but any time that I show an interest in your actual life, in trying to get to know you, you shut down. You just want to fu-”

“Qrow!” Winter snapped, “You’re making a scene.”

“You always make a scene!” 

“No, that’s you! You always start things like this. You show up late, you always say the wrong thing on purpose, or poke the sleeping Ursa, you can never leave well enough alone, you revel in defying authority-”

“-And you love it.” I finished for her. 

“I’m just trying to love you, Qrow, and that isn’t easy.” Winter sighed and she looked around at the passerby of the port, who were all staring at us with renewed interest. She glanced at the ground, “I’ll be taking some high profile work for Ironwood, I’m not sure when I can come to Vale again.”

“My missions will probably keep me away for quite sometime as well.” I said. It was true, but it was meant to hurt. 

“Don’t look for me when you get back.” Winter drew herself up to her full height and clasped her hands behind her, professional to the last. “I have a lot of work to do.”

I don't know why I was surprised that hurt too.

 

Several hours later, it was storming on Patch, me and the corgi were bonding over alcohol and terrible infomercials on Tai's holographic TV. There wasn't anything good on to watch so I bided my time, drinking every time they brought out a new product and tossing Zwei treats. We had been at it a couple hours and I was almost convinced a blender gun was a good idea, at an unbeatable 19.99 lien. That's when Zwei started barking louder than usual. The little pup was frantically growling and pointing his nose at the door.

“It's just thunder.” I assured him, but he kept barking. I remembered that Zwei was no ordinary dog so I thought it might be worth investigating, or at least getting more ice for my whiskey. I got up and as I moved to the door amid the pouring rain, I heard the propeller of an airship sputtering to land. I grabbed my scythe and opened the door. Zwei pranced out ahead of me through a puddle as I stumbled outside, we could see the lights of the ship landing in the trees. It was an older model, a Mistral ship. 

Zwei growled as we approached. I stayed on edge, even as we saw who was getting off the ship. 

Raven stepped forward from the ship with an unconscious and bloody Tai draped over her shoulder. They were both drenched, I couldn't tell if it was in rain or blood. She limped as she stepped towards us, her eyes screaming for help. 

I commanded Zwei to stay. I put away my scythe and ran up to her. I took Tai's weight from her and groaned.

“Damn, he's heavier than he looks.” I said. "So where did you get the airship?" 

Raven just stared at me, red eyes glowing as the rain plastered her hair to her face. Then as my grin faded, she said, “I found him. Some of the tribe's younger members roughed him up.”

“That's putting it mildly.” In the lights of the airship, I could see one of his eyes swollen shut and blood and rain mixing on his face. "What did he do to get on their bad side?"

"He was presumably hired to kick them out of a scouting post, near a little village they had been harassing."

"How did you get him here?"

"They described a Huntsman they beat up, said he fought like a dragon so they didn't want to kill him." she said.

"Definitely Tai then," I pulled on his arm in an effort to keep him more upright.

“He was in Mistral, you said you would keep him out of Mistral.” She said.

“I said I would try. I can't work miracles, though I'm a little surprised you brought him back.”

“I told you that I hadn't given up on this family.”

“So you're coming back too?” I asked.

“No, I want you to tell Tai I have a code to uphold. I must protect and lead our people, our family. I haven't forgotten my family, all of them.”

“What's this code say about your husband and daughter? Or brother and niece?” 

“I saved him, as I would save any of you, as I would have saved Summer too if I could have. But I cannot always help, I cannot be the angel that swoops in to save them. If you want to keep doing that, then be my guest, but tell Tai that he cannot expect the same courtesy twice. Those are my rules.”

“I see.” As I spoke, Tai twitched and groaned.

“You have wounds to tend to, and I have people to lead.” Raven turned for the airship.

“Some family you are.” I sighed as I started to drag Tai towards the house. 

“You could be a great help to the tribe if you came back, Qrow.”

I spit in the muddy dirt and kept walking, Zwei came herding us towards the house. 

As I got to the doorstep, Zwei barked and I looked up to see the old airship rising in the storm.

I got Tai inside, cleaned and bandaged his wounds. He was feverish, and I was no doctor, but I was sure we had both definitely endured worse. His injuries were mostly surface cuts, damage done to taunt him, and bruises from punches playful in their standards. It was hard to believe that was all they had done to him, almost merciful of them. I found myself studying their sick handiwork, wondering if I could tell who had done it, but I realized that I had spent more of my life away from the tribe than I had as a part of it.

I covered Tai and went to sit on the window ledge. I took swigs from my flask until I fell into numbness and sleep.

When I woke again, it was light out, the clock on the wall told me it was late afternoon, and the bed that Tai had occupied was empty. I climbed down from my terribly uncomfortable perch on the window ledge. I rubbed a kink from my neck as I climbed downstairs, Tai was doing the dishes in the kitchen.

He looked up at me when I entered and sighed, neither of us had to say anything to each other. I wasn't really sure what the appropriate way to start a conversation about being beaten by criminals lead by your estranged criminal wife and then being saved by said estranged criminal wife anyway so I searched the fridge for some water. A few minutes later Tai's scroll went off. Almost as soon as it buzzed, mine did as well. 

It was a message from Ruby. She and Yang were both on a team together, and that was team RWBY.

"Just like Summer." Tai said, looking up from my scroll I saw him staring at me.

"Spitting image," I shook my head in disbelief.

"Well, not quite," Tai held his scroll up, a picture of Ruby appeared, my scroll went off and I saw the same picture there. I stared at her, holding her scythe over her shoulder, grinning at the camera, "Yang said they took this where Ruby stopped that burglar, wanted to commemorate her success." 

"Heh, cocky kid." I sighed.

"She looks a lot like Summer, and acts a lot like her too," Tai said, "But sometimes, she acts a lot like you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://img15.deviantart.net/da28/i/2015/262/8/f/ruby_rose_by_kksparks-d9a7azj.png


	25. Truths

Even though the dog and I were finally getting along, it just wasn’t the same as having Ruby and Yang around. Tai was slow to get back on his feet, and we kept running into each other. I was practically begging Ozpin for more work, but Amber was surprisingly quiet in the field. I did finally manage to have some fun when Tai asked to spar with me. 

We had fought before, as kids at Beacon but it had been years since we had pointed our weapons at each other. We’d exchanged a few punches over the years but this was the first time we were going into a fight with ground rules since Summer was our leader. Just as he had trained his daughter, Tai had come to favor a very powerful style of combat, reliant on heavy hits to get the job done. Yet where Yang still lacked finesse, Tai had his nimble short swords for when his punches weren’t enough to connect. I knew I’d best face him with my sword blade. 

We stood on opposite ends of the yard, weapons at the ready. He still had gauze wrapped around his right arm I stood and waited for Tai to strike first, I may be an asshole but I wasn’t going to leap on a man still recovering until he could get a feel for his strength again. I expected him to take it at least a little bit easy, but of course, it was Tai so he jumped me full throttle, blades swinging within seconds. I danced around him, outpacing him if anything his muscles just weren’t up to full speed yet, but Tai tore after me, close on my heels from the moment we started swinging, and he kept pace with me for what felt like ages. We were both starting to wear down towards the end but Tai kept swinging just as wildly as when we began. 

His movements became erratic, his swings unpredictable. He got me on the defensive, I was backing up towards the house with every strike, the corgi started barking, I started flailing just to block his strikes. He leapt and his boots glanced off my blade, I had to swing it down just to keep it from cutting him at such a close range, his short sword rushed towards my face. No longer going easy on him, I blocked his hand. Since he forced my sword away, I released it and punched him square in the jaw.

“Dammit, Tai, that was not a fight to the death.” I glared at him as I felt the heat of our fight descending on us, we were older than we used to be.

Tai stared at the ground, his face red where I had struck him.

“Tai?”

He said nothing, and with a cry like a wild animal started hacking at a nearby tree, Zwei still barking away. He hacked into the bark, getting both his swords stuck. He shook as his breathing slowed.

“Are you done, yet?” I asked.

“I’m pissed off, Qrow.” 

“I can see that, should I get a couch and a pipe so we can talk about it?” I stretched as I picked up my sword.

“I hate you.” Tai said.

“Thanks.”

“I hate myself too.” Tai shook his head, “I hate everything right now.” 

“Go on. . .” I leaned against my blade.

“I’m just so frustrated. . . I’m a horrible Huntsman, a horrible teacher. . .”

“Tai, no one has ever defeated the Branwens in battle.” I interrupted, “Not even Branwens.”

“It’s not just that, look at me, my wife left me, the girls are both gone and I’m still here.” He sighed, “I haven’t moved forward at all. Even you’ve moved on-”

“Moved on? Tai have you looked at me lately?” I asked. I drew my flask out, “I haven’t moved forward, not really. I just drink and sleep around, could you imagine if Summer could see me now? Heh! Sorry to burst your self-pity bubble, but I don’t think you’re actually doing too bad. Hell, when Summer died, I almost couldn’t bear to look at Ruby. You not only raised Yang from birth, mostly alone, but when I fell off the wagon, you picked both the girls and yourself up, and you stayed afloat. The girls are off to Beacon, and no more messed up than you or I at that age - well actually less messed up than me.”

“Did we do the right thing? Managing without their mothers?” Tai asked.

“We did the best we could.” I shrugged.

“I’m going on another mission--just here in Vale--nowhere near your sister.”

I couldn’t think of anything to say to that, so I just stood there and waited as he walked back in the house. 

We tiptoed around each other until he left two days later, and at that point I was itching to do something as well. Amber still had no leads on the Spring Maiden, but she was taking some work in Anema, outside the kingdoms. The Vytal festival was coming to Beacon soon, so Ozpin was preoccupied with that. 

I was left alone with Zwei and as smart and entertaining as the corgi was, there were only so many tricks that I could teach it. 

I was bored.

The longer I stayed alone, the more I thought about Ruby and Yang at Beacon. Ruby was two years younger than every other student at Beacon, and even though she was capable. . . 

Curiosity got the better of me.

I left Zwei with some dog food and took wing to Vale and as I had done for years of their childhood, I watched. the first thing that I ended up seeing was that the first years were going on a trip to the Forest of Forever Fall. 

I hung back under the cover of the red leaves, Yang’s hair and Ruby’s cape were easy things to spot. However, I nearly squawked when I saw who else was on their team. I hadn’t given much thought to who the W or the B were on Team RWBY, but there was no mistaking Weiss Schnee. The spitting image of her sister with longer hair and a slightly more grating voice. 

I thought of the old man smirking at me in his tower, had Ozpin planned this? Then Glynda stepped into view and spoke to Yang’s partner.

“Belladonna. . .” Belladonna? That name sounded familiar. I watched her bow twitch as she walked off and it dawned on me. She was--

“Get out of there!” Glynda shouted and a blast of her purple magic shot through the trees in my direction. I barely dodged and took to the air, glaring daggers at her as she adjusted her glasses. She didn’t need to say anything, and though her students would probably find it hilarious to watch their professor get into a duel with a bird, I knew she would not. I started flying back towards Beacon.

Though I was out of her sight within moments, I felt her staring at my back the entire way up to Ozpin’s office. Oz was waiting for me, drinking from his mug and looking out at Beacon. Here I was, a grown man sent before the principal again.

Ozpin sighed when he saw me. He extended a mug towards me, I took it but didn’t drink any. After a moment, he spoke. “Qrow, I know that you’re worried about Ruby not being ready, but following them on missions is not the way-”

“I was curious,” I shrugged, “Don’t all parents get curious, and besides how did you leave out the fact that not only is Weiss Schnee on their team but the daughter of the founders of the White Fang is also on their team?”

“Now Qrow, we are not exactly clear on Ms. Belladonna's origins--”

“Which, why aren’t you? Shouldn’t you know your students’ histories? Where they come from? You know, before you admit them?” I asked.

Ozpin stared me down, his eyes exasperated, “You mean like your family?”

I tried to protest, but my thoughts caught up to my mouth before I even got the words out. Not all that different from taking in the child of a tribe of bandits notoriously made of murderers and thieves.

“Besides, the Belladonnas seem to have settled down. Ghira is Chieftain of Menagerie, he has renounced his position in the White Fang, which actually makes me quite glad to see Ms. Belladonna here, there was a stretch of years between Ghira’s departure and Ms. Belladonna’s enrollment when she was, rather unaccounted for.”

“She was probably running with that Taurus schmuck again, want me to track him down?”

“No, actually I have other work for you.” Ozpin took a sip from his mug, “I need you to gather intelligence on our enemies in Mistral once more.”

“Tai’s away on a mission too.” I said. 

“He’ll be back within a few days, and it’s not as if the girls will be sent on any particularly dangerous missions just yet.” 

“You don’t know that.” I sighed.

“Qrow, Ruby is the leader of her team, I see in her the same promise which I saw in her mother-”

“You see her eyes.”

“And I see you. She will be a great Huntress, Qrow, just like her parents.” Ozpin smiled, “She would accomplish that a lot quicker, if you would let her.”

“I know.”

“I expect to hear you’re flying over soon Mistral then, understand that frequent points of contact may not be the safest.”

“I know.” 

So began the long game. 

Getting to Mistral was not the problem. The problem was tracking Salem’s reach once I got there. She had a new minion, a favorite who was very good at covering her tracks. She employed a few other scumbags as well, but they were distant shadows, even harder to track. Her newest pawn was blazing a trail across Mistral, so I followed it. I had yet to actually find her, I only heard stories of her, she was good and she was almost impossible to grab. It seemed just as soon as I got to Mistral, she was back on the move. There was a sudden uptick in crime, and a notorious assassin was found dead outside his destroyed home, but nothing to really bite at, until the criminal activity spiked in Vale. I knew Ruby had involved herself once before, and she could take care of herself now, so I told myself not to worry, until I was set on my hardest mission yet. 

After about three weeks of tracking Salem’s minions in Vale, I figured out they were following Amber, but I figured it out too late. 

Amber had been patrolling the eastern isolated hills and mountains of Sanus, tending to little villages, helping local farmers get rid of their major Grimm problems, when they struck. I didn’t see the initial attack, all I saw was a flash of red light, and a Grimm that looked straight out of hell latched on to Amber’s face. 

I jumped in to stop the attack, and though I was able to pull Amber away, something warped my vision. I couldn’t make out her assailants but I knew they had to be the three pawns I had been chasing. I heard this rumbling beneath me and my vision cleared just enough to see the energy swirl under my feet, and I heard their footsteps fading in the distance as they ran. 

Amber was already cold and clammy in my arms, I shook her as I started towards the nearest village, “Come on, kid stay with me.”

Amber’s head lolled against my arm. I called up Ozpin and started running for help.

“She… wants my power…” Amber muttered.

“I know, they’re definitely after the maidens.” I said, grateful she was talking.

“Not just to recruit, but to destroy. . . I don’t think they got the others yet. . .”

“They didn’t get you. . . I got you,” I squeezed her arm as I ran.

“Yes. . . they did.” Amber lapsed unconscious and after that I never saw her wake.

Ozpin sent Ironwood to intercept me, using Geppetto’s technology we were able to put her in stasis. They locked her in a glass chamber and prepared to move her back to Beacon. Ironwood approached me as the ship prepped.

“Did you see her attackers?” he asked.

“Not very clearly, one of them had some kind of power that blocked my vision.”

“This is not good, Qrow.” Ironwood began pacing.

“You don’t have to tell me that, Jimmy.” I sighed, “So I’ll be getting on the road.” 

“Now?” he asked.

“I can’t lose their trail, there’s a chance I can still track them with my wings.” 

“Before you go, I thought you should know that Ms. Schnee informed me her sister’s team stopped an attack from the white fang. I know your niece and daughter are on that team as well.”

“Nieces, Jimmy.” I sighed.

“How long are you going to keep the truth from her?” Ironwood asked.

“Her whole life, she’s safer this way.”

“Ozpin knows about her now, who are you still hiding her from?” 

“There’s a lot of darkness in this world, General. It’s my job to walk in it. I don’t want to see it get to her too.”

“That may not be choice that you get to make.”

“At least if she’s not known as my daughter, there’s a chance that my enemies won’t be hers.”

“If that’s what you want to believe.”

“I didn’t say I believed it.”

I took off before Ironwood could lecture me further, and set out into the Vale night sky. 

 

I tracked Salem’s minions over the course of the next several months but made very little progress. Despite what I said, I actually lost their trail, at least until the Vytal festival began. As the coliseum descended over Beacon, all the whispering factions pointed to Vale as the next target, of something big. 

 

I started for home, only to find someone else leaving Vale. We passed in midair, our eyes flashed in recognition and we both descended over the cliffside forest. We transformed near Summer’s headstone.

“Hello, Sister.” I stretched my arms as I greeted her.

“What do you want, Qrow?” she rolled her eyes.

“Just wondering what you’re doing in the neighborhood. You didn’t beat up your husband again did you?” 

“I never hurt him in the first place, and you know that.” 

“So why then?” I asked, “I thought you weren’t going to protect this family anymore?”

“I was doing my duty as a mother. I saved Yang.” she almost looked proud of it.

“So that’s it then? You’re gone for good now?” 

“I must see to what is best for the tribe, there are dark forces meeting in Mistral, and very soon, they will be coming to Vale.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, things have been very hectic but I should have a couple more chapters out in a few days.


	26. Growth

When Raven took off again I found myself facing Summer’s headstone. I knew she wasn’t there. I knew it had been years, but when I saw her name, her face flashed before me as if I had seen it only yesterday, and in a way, I had. Ruby’s face mirrored her own so perfectly that to call up Ruby’s face in my mind was to see a young Summer, right by her side, just as enthusiastic, maybe not quite as mischievous. Yet Ruby was not Summer, Ruby was Ruby. 

And I was not the man Summer fell in love with, not anymore, not that I could see. I had only been a kid back then, and for the first time I truly felt old. My daughter was following in my footsteps, and it was not a path that I wanted her to take. I sighed and left the gravesite, as I headed into Vale, I glanced back at the cliffs and for a moment the autumn leaves swirled around as if someone moved them. It was foolish but it reminded me of Summer’s semblance.

It was a drinking day.

It was also the first day of the Vytal festival so conveniently enough Signal was closed and no classes were running at Beacon. I ran into some former students, even though I had been on a leave of absence from teaching to gather intel, they remembered me. I told them I would be back whenever my work was done, though I didn’t know if it would ever be.

I headed into the commercial district and a little place called the Crow Bar, I thought I’d avoid my usual hideout, since the last time I’d been home and had time to drink, had been during my fallout with Winter. As if I needed another reason for whiskey. I ordered one, neat and leaned against the bar. Overhead there were projected screens of the Vytal tournament.

I knew team RWBY would be contenders. I found myself half watching, half drinking throughout the fights. When they announced team RWBY versus ABRN, I put my drink down. Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang. Blake and Yang paired strong, they seemed totally in sync, meanwhile Weiss and Ruby seemed to have a little bit of tension. Despite this, they didn’t start as a team, they all charged separate opponents so even though it was a team fight, it was more like single combat four times over. Yang was as rash as ever, Ruby somewhat subdued, I had yet to really see her lead them. Only once one of the ABRN guys went for Ruby and Weiss defended her, did they start moving more like a team. 

Weiss got two of them with her glyphs, but one of ABRN’s girls on a hoverboard freed them, only for Ruby to set up Blake to knock her out of the arena. Then they finally got a combo on the last three and Yang sent them flying.

A haphazard victory to team RWBY. I toasted the girls and polished off my glass. 

The rest of the afternoon started to slip by, no battles of interest until this one team, JNPR completely stopped the fight to talk. The tall redhead, Pyrrha had looked incredibly skilled up until that point. Their leader, this blond guy Jaune suddenly stopped their action on the field and it wasn’t until the crowd started booing them that Nora, this little chick with a hammer pulverized the entire team. Unorthodox, and reckless, I could still drink to the hilarity of it all. 

Another fight unfolded, a team from Shade, NDGO, and a team from Haven, SSSN. Things looked to be going NDGO’s way, one member of SSSN just wasn’t going to cooperate at all, until it was down to just him and their leader, Sun. Finally, he pulled out a trident that electrocuted NDGO’s remaining members and SSSN won by aura depletion but it was hardly a victory.

I scoffed at it and said as much, the bartender noticed.

“Just what fight are you here for?” 

I heard the thrusters of an airship descending behind me and with a glance out the window I saw a certain Atlesian Specialist ship decked out in blue banners. Winter Schnee was finally back in Vale and I was drunk enough to go talk to her.

I made my way through Vale towards Beacon courtyard, where I caught sight of the sisters making their way towards the school. Winter walked different than she had before, the haughty air in her step more pronounced. The Atlesian Knights made terrible clanking noises, which were not very kind on my significantly less than sober ears. I grabbed and dismantled two of them, still pretty weak, my old robot friends.

“Hey. . . yeah. I’m talking to you, Ice Queen.”

“Halt.” she called off her other robotic guard dogs. At last, Winter turned to look at me, she was only shocked for a moment and just like Jackie Schnee how quickly she could flash that shock into anger.

“Excuse me,” That little Weiss Schnee marched right up to me, her voice significantly more grating up close, “Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?”

“Shhhh. .. .” I pushed Weiss out of the way, “Not you. . . you.”

“Saw that gaudy ship of yours in town.. . .” A Raven squawked nearby, no doubt my sister who couldn’t stay away, voicing her disapproval. “Guess you’re here too. . .”

“I’m standing right before you.” She snapped.

Oh I guess I'd said that out loud. . .“So it would seem.”

“You realize you just destroyed Atlas Military property?” She glared at me.

“Oooh, I’m sorry, see- I mistook this for some sort of . . .sentient garbage.” Not that I would ever hurt Geppetto’s PENNY, I was still pissed off at Winter.

“I don’t have time for your immature games, Qrow.” Weiss stepped in, confused, guess I never did officially meet her sister. This went on for awhile, I insulted Winter, she insulted me, not putting up with any of my shit, I insulted her boss and brought Weiss into it. 

Then she started flirting with me--oh wait--attacking me.

We had both seen each other fight a lot but we had never drawn on each other. Winter jabbed near my face but it was hard to believe she was actually aiming, and when she brought down her saber across my back it landed squarely across my scythe. We were attracting quite the crowd, and even though she was mad I knew her aim wasn’t that bad. She didn’t hit me any more than I hit her. Until I snuck in a wink, then she caught me across the face, not with her sword but the base of her hand. Now she was angry. She still wanted me.

I chased her all around the courtyard, admittedly taking huge chunks out of it, and still she danced just out of my reach but close enough to taunt me with her smiles. She started running along Beacon’s arches, so I started firing off blasts from my shotgun at her, knowing she would dodge them all. There was a bit of a close call as a cloud of steam billowed around her but a moment later Winter leapt from it, separating her saber into two, she must have used her glyphs. She pounced on me, knocking us both into the ground. We separated, she hit me with a flurry of Nevermores, significantly smaller than the ones she normally used. I swiped my blade right through them, at at last I seemed to have her truly ticked off, she summoned a large glyph behind her and I knew she was coming right for me.   
I started to shift my blade into my scythe when I caught sight of Ironwood’s party arriving across the courtyard. I put my blade away and beckoned her over with a smile. Winter obliged significantly less happy. Winter’s blade was right up against my throat and just as soon as she got there--

“Schnee!”

Ironwood called the whole thing to a halt. Winter froze, whatever she had intended on doing she never got around to it. I grinned and pointed out to Ironwood that she had struck fist. Winter had no defense. Ozpin interrupted before Ironwood and I could get into an argument of our own. Glynda demanded that the crowd clear, and went to work repairing our destruction, eugh I was going to get an earful from her later.

Ironwood lead Winter and the Atlas soldiers’ away, PENNY marched with them, as sunny as ever. Just as the crowd started to clear, and I thought of that old tinkerer--

“Uncle Qrow!” Ruby leapt for me, latching onto my arm and clinging like a leech. I smiled at her, just as I caught Winter looking back over her shoulder, still dejected, angry, and maybe even a little hurt.

“Hi.” Ruby squealed as I raised my arm to look at her. “Oh it’s so good to see you! Didja miss me? Did you miss me?” 

More than I would ever say. More than I could ever say. “Nope.” I grinned at her and ruffled her hair. 

Ozpin called me away and Ruby released my arm. She grinned at me like I was the whole world, Summer’s smile but brighter. We fist-bumped and I had to go, happier than I thought I would be.   
The meeting in Ozpin’s office essentially resulted in Glynda telling me I had a drinking problem, Winter turning red, angry and storming out. Ozpin trusted Ironwood less, and Ironwood trusted me not at all. He left without a word to me after we argued, I guess that’s what happens when you don’t talk to someone for a year and imminent threats of darkness grow stronger.

“Qrow, you cannot be this reckless,” Glynda said to me on the elevator ride down.

“I was drunk.”

“Yes you’re always drunk,” she huffed, “But that’s no way to live life. That’s no way to teach others to live life.”

“What are you implying?” I stared at her.

“You may never have told me, but considering the number of breakdowns you have in Ozpin’s office, I’ve picked up a thing or two over the years.” She crossed her arms, “I don’t think it’s escaped your notice that there are two students at Beacon, one in particular, who hang on your every word, and they are growing up.”

“Don’t remind me.” I rolled my eyes.

“You have to let them fight their own battles, even if you’re afraid they’ll fail, they need to test their strength. They need to see a leader who can show them the way forward, not be increasingly stuck in the past.”

“I’m not afraid they’ll fail, I’m afraid to fail them.” I sighed, “I’m afraid to fail everyone, and hurt them, especially the ones I need most.”

“Everything is dangerous, Qrow.” Glynda mused.

“You’ve been talking to the old man too much.” 

Glynda laughed, “He’s not the only one getting a bit older.” 

 

That sentiment was echoed the next day by none other than my own daughter.

“You’ll never beat me, Old man!” Ruby screamed.

“You’re nothing but talk, kid. . .” I rolled my eyes as our ninjas fought across the screen.

“You can do it, Ruby!” Yang faithfully cheered, unfortunately, just as she spoke my ninja decapitated Ruby’s.

As the game announced my victory I looked over at the somewhat dejected Ruby, “By the way, don’t ever call me, old-”

“My turn!” Yang shoved Ruby aside, grabbing for the controls.

I shook my head and grinned, “Now where was I?”

“You were telling us about your last mission, the really long one that kept you away forever!” Ruby leaned forward between me and Yang.

“Right, right.” I started narrating my tale, distracting Yang and swooping in for the victory. I suffered for my tactics with a flying corgi pillow and Ruby’s laughter. 

“So Uncle Qrow, did you get in trouble with Ozpin?” She asked.

“Ehh, me and Oz go way back, we’re cool.” I nodded.

“Heh, cool for an old guy.” I could see Yang was in one of her sassy moods. 

“Not funny.” I sat up.

“So what are you doing here anyway? I thought Dad said you were supposed to be on a mission for like-ever?” Ruby asked. Yang started up another round of the video game.

“Well a professional Huntsmen, like myself is expected to get results, as soon as possible.” Not that I had been recently. 

“Yeah, I get that.” Ruby smiled, “We’re pretty much pros too.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, read the news sometime. We totally saved Vale while you were gone.” Yang said.

“Cause I heard that Vale suffered a Grimm attack after you almost managed to stop a train.” I sighed as Yang lost again, “But they don’t give out medals for almost.”

“They do and they’re called silver!” Ruby interjected.

“Well we helped take down Roman Torchwick,” Yang insisted, “He’s locked up in Ironwood’s ship and crime has been down ever since. That’s basically a bounty mission.”

“Sure, you may be acting like Huntresses, but you’re not thinking like them. Do you really think four girls and their friends could end all crime in the kingdom?” I asked.

“I mean, I did until you said that.” Ruby played with her hands.

“Violence hasn’t dropped since Roman got nabbed, it’s stopped. Completely.” I said, “No White Fang activity anywhere around the city. You cut off the head of a King Taijitu, but now the second head is calling the shots. That’s what Ironwood can’t get through that thick metal head of his. . .”

“You know the General?” Yang asked.

This conversation was not going where I intended, “Heh, I know everybody to some extent. That’s my job. And remember you’re talking to a member of the coolest team to ever graduate Beacon.” I thought about it for a second and pulled out the old STRQ photo. I caught Yang looking at Raven and knew that was enough. I said my goodbyes to the girls and got up to leave their room. They were indeed growing up as Glynda reminded me, but they did still have such a long way to go.

“You two, you’re going to go far, but only if you keep learning, if you never stop moving forward.”

I had some moving forward of my own to do, and a certain Specialist who I should probably apologize to before she left Vale.


	27. Honesty

I tracked down Winter in a bar that evening, the same bar where I usually met her, and for once I wasn’t already drunk. I tried not imbibing my weight in alcohol as per Glynda’s suggestion. That made me incredibly nervous that my semblance would act up, which made me confident that my talk with Winter would go about as well as wrestling an Ursa. 

When I stepped inside, it hit me just how bad their cover band really was without alcohol, but a certain Atlas Specialist was swaying along. She slouched over the bar, military bun disheveled, empty glass in her hand and though she smiled there were tear tracks down her face.

“Winter?” I asked just to make sure it was really her.

She didn’t hear me at first so I asked again louder, attracting some stares. She moved painfully slowly, slamming her glass down on the bar and pushing herself upright. She flipped her hair in my face, pointing and swaying as she spoke.

“You-you-you suck!” she said.

“I know.” I sighed, genuinely both impressed and disturbed at how drunk she was. I was able to bat her hand away, and practically had to catch her to keep her standing. 

“I hate you,” she slurred with a smile.

“I know.” she leaned on me.

“I love you.”

I cleared my throat and patted her back. Despite knowing that it hadn’t gone incredibly quiet, my heartbeat seemed especially loud. I glanced around and saw the regulars were back to their own business then I turned towards the bartender, “How much has she had?”

“Hehhh a lot. I cut her off about half an hour ago, she’d been babysitting her third tequila.” He said as he wiped a glass down.

“Well I’d say that’s more than enough.” I encouraged Winter to let go of her glass and draped her arm over my shoulder, she didn’t protest as I moved her, as delicate as a doll. I found her hotel key in her pocket and took it out. With her half giggling half crying on me, I escorted her there. She leaned into me, humming as we went but by the time I got her back to her room, she shifted more towards crying. I unlocked the hotel door and she stumbled away from me, shaking her head she threw herself distraught on the bed.

“Okay, home safe and sound,” I wasn’t sure if I should leave her alone, but I also wasn’t convinced it was a good idea to stay.

Winter decided for me, “Ya-you stay!” she pointed without looking at me.

I sighed and shut the door behind me as I entered the room.

She sat up, frantically pulling the hair away from her face, “I’m so mad!”

“Why’s that?” I suspected the answer. I crossed the room and leaned against an armchair by the window.

“I’m mad at you!” she threw her arm in my direction and it sank back to her side a moment later, “I’m also mad at me. D-do you know how hard I worked to get my job? How many hours I put in doing extra assignments, sleepless nights researching and on recon and you-you humiliate me in front of my boss. How could you do that? How-how could I let you do that?”

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“Me too! I’m sorry-but you went too far!” Winter pushed her hair back, still trying to preen even though she was in a far from professional state, “This job is all I’ve got left. I don’t have my family, not really, maybe Mother and Weiss, but I don’t have my father.”

I looked at her attentively, and she went on, “I’m mad at my father too. I’m so afraid. My-my family built this huge empire, and my father’s practically destroyed it. I-I want to be better.”

“You will be. You are.” I assured her. She started slouching and I went to her side and helped her lie down.

She grabbed my hand as I tried to push her back on the bed, “I don’t like it when you shut me out.”

“I know.” I patted her hand. 

“I don’t like to let people in either.” she mused. I helped her turn on her side incase she got sick, she was easy to move. I covered her with the blankets and backed away slowly. She was watching me, bleary eyed and starting to crash.

I found a glass and filled it with water. I placed it near her bedside table and went back to my perch on the armchair. I watched her drift off, unsure of when I slipped into unconsciousness as well. 

When I opened my eyes again, I was half curled in the armchair, a soft blue blanket draped over me. As I sat up the blanket fell and I saw Winter, standing before a mirror in a clean t-shirt and jeans. She was brushing out her long silvery white hair. It was the first time I had seen her in civilian attire. I had to admit I was admiring the fit of her jeans on her hips when she turned around, noticing I was awake.

“Good morning.” she said, her eyes and the deep circles under them told me it might not be so good for her.

“Morning.” I clutched the blanket, “I’m sorry for the way I was the other day, and what I said to you.”

“I’m sorry for attacking you in the courtyard.” She held her head, “I did not expect you to be able to retaliate so well, so. . . inebriated.”

“Heh, that’s my normal existence nowadays, though not usually quite that bad.”

“I have no idea how,” she snapped rubbing her temples, “A bit of tequila and I can’t function.”

“Are you alright?” I asked as I stretched out the cramps in my muscles.

“Yes. I’m sorry that you had to see me like that.” She hid behind her hair.

“You’ve seen me worse.” I shrugged.

“Oh the things I must have said!” she turned red.

“Nothing too bad,” I laughed.

“Oh it’s easy for you to say that!” she protested, making me laugh again.

“Hey, at least we’re hot messes together.”

She looked up as if she had something more to say but looked back down again. I scratched my head as awkward silence enveloped us.

Finally, several eons later, she asked, “So why didn’t you tell me about her?”

“Summer?”

“Ruby.” she looked at me, “Weiss told me. I met her actually.”

“She’s something.” I scratched my head again, “She’s so strong, and cheerful, and maybe a little naive.” 

Winter sighed, “I can see you’re a proud father but why didn’t you tell me? Did you think that I wouldn’t want to be involved with a man who has a kid? I knew what I was getting into, age difference and all.”

“Hey, hey, I’m not that old.”

“Please, for once just let me in.” Winter stared at me, blue eyes pleading.

“Well. . . it’s complicated.”

Winter crossed the room and sat on the foot of the bed, “I’m listening.”

I sighed and sat beside her, my hands on my knees. I wasn’t sure where to begin with Ruby, so I started with Raven and the tribe. I explained growing up in Mistral, Ozpin recruiting us and moving to Beacon. She listened well until I got around to talking about my relationship with Summer. Summer was my childhood love and that Winter understood, then I mentioned that when I left Atlas, Summer had been pregnant with Ruby and it got harder to find the right words.

“After Raven fled to Mistral, I found out what my semblance really was.” I gulped.

“You didn’t learn it before? Not through all your years in Beacon? You never found out you were a bird?” Winter asked.

“That’s not my semblance so much as it is a Branwen trait. And it’s not exactly that I didn’t know it, I knew the general idea of it, but it was that trip to Mistral that warned me of what it could do. My semblance isn’t like most. It’s passive, it’s just part of me that is always there, it’s the power to alter the fates, in a way. Tip the scales of probability, and more often than not, the way it changes fates, is to bring misfortune and bad luck.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“The first time I met you not only did militant Faunus attack but so did the Grimm, I was spying on someone as a bird and got shot, even little things, bottles that break, puddles, potholes, people trip, and big things. Very big things. Summer. . . she died. She died saving me from my own bad luck.” I sighed.

“You don’t know that. . .” Winter pressed, she reached towards me but I laughed and drew away.

“Yes, I do! This is my life, this is what I deal with every day. This is why I drink.” I drew out my flask, “If my other senses are impaired, so is my semblance, I’m less of a danger that way. To friends, my students, my niece, and my daughter.”

“And me?” she asked.

“And you,” I acknowledged. I went to take a sip and she stayed my hand.

“What am I to you, Qrow?”

“My lover?” I flinched knowing that was not the answer she wanted, “After Summer, I’m just afraid to commit to anyone. . . I hope you can understand that.”

Winter sighed and sat up, “I’m not looking for commitment. I never was. Do you know that I’ve loved you since that first time I met you, when you whisked me away and saved me? That must sound so ridiculous, don’t look at me like that. It wasn’t a proper love, it was a love for how strong you were, how brave, and gratitude all mixed together I guess.”

“It would have meant failing the mission to have anything happen to you, and I can’t abide someone or something going after children.” I shrugged.

“It was more than that to me.” She continued, “It was the beginning, I could see you were still a kid, older than me but still so young, and you had done so much. I wanted to be that capable, that strong. Then I saw you again and then I think I really fell in love, but still only with the idea of you. Even now I only feel like I’m scratching the surface of knowing you, so I’m not looking for commitment. Not yet anyway, there are still so many things I want to do, to accomplish. I want to leave a better legacy for the Schnees as someone who protected, not only the daughter of someone who destroyed. Even still, I can’t deny what I feel for you, infatuation, admiration, all of it.”

She held my gaze, her eyes softening, I didn’t realize blue could be so warm, and then she asked, “So I have to wonder, what do you feel for me?”

“Well you see,” I tried not to avert my eyes, “I am an expert in denying feelings, in being numb, it comes with the whiskey.”

“Could you not deny them, just for a moment?” she leaned closer.

“I would say deep concern, warm affection. . .” I would not say love, not yet anyway.

Winter nodded, her spine growing rigid, “I see. I don’t know what I expected.”

I grabbed for her hand, “Don’t do that, look, I’ll never love anyone like I loved Summer, because I can’t feel that again. I loved her when I was unbroken, I’ve spent a long time at rock bottom, but I am trying. Trying to get to know each other, it is a start to whatever this is. . .” 

Winter squeezed my hand, “I can respect that. We haven’t exactly been the most open of companions--”

“Just very, very passionate. . .” I interjected, pleased as I watched her face turn red. She shook her head, a small smile coming back to her face.

“I think we could get along better, now that we understand each other on some level. I want us to, when we do get the chance to see each other, anyway.” she sighed, “I return to Atlas today, and after that I will be needed in the field.”

“I’m actually going to try to stay out of the field for awhile, so I guess I’ll be the one waiting for you, for a change. I want to stay a little closer to home for as long as I can,” I said, “As long as it is safe to do so.”

Winter nodded and picked up her brush again, “Why don’t you tell Ruby the truth now?”

“What?” I asked, my stomach turning at the very thought.

“She’s a student at Beacon, she and Yang are almost adults. Don’t you think they could handle it?” she asked.

“Part of me doesn’t know if I could handle it. At the same time, you have no idea how much part of me has wanted to tell her.”

“So what’s stopping you?” she asked.

I cleared my throat, “If I admit to Ruby who I am to her, how much I’ve wanted to be a part of her life, then I don’t know that I could bear to stay away. And I have to stay away, even with the drinking, I still bring misfortune if I’m around for too long and I could never live with myself if I caused anything to happen to her, anything at all. When Summer was still pregnant with her, she nearly got hurt because of me, and if they had been hurt, I don’t know that I could have lived through it.”

Winter was silent for awhile and then she asked, “You know, Qrow?”

“Yes?”

“You’re one of the strongest people I know.” she said, “And I’m not just talking about brute strength, though you’ve got quite a bit of that as well. You’ve got determination that I don’t see in many people, even if you don’t apply it often, you have a very strong will. Despite drinking the amount of alcohol you do, you’re capable of so much, and I know you would be capable of so much more if you stopped drinking.”

“Winter, I think you’re still infatuated.” I raised my eyebrows, “We just went through this, my semblance--”

“I know, it hinders your semblance, but you might want to try something else.” she said.

“What? Did you have something in mind? A good luck charm?”

“I’m serious Qrow, what if instead of running from your semblance, you embraced it?” she asked, “What if you learned to control it. Everyone has to work on their semblance at some point. Yours is just a little more complicated.”

“People could die. People have died.” I insisted.

“I don’t know how you would go about it, or how long it would take but there must be someone who can help you, maybe a scientist or a professor.” Winter set her brush down, “Either way, I think you should at least consider it. If it meant you got to stay, if you didn’t have to drink to live. I would wait for it, and I know Ruby would too.”

. . .


	28. Punches and Pawns

“Ironwood.” I grinned as I stepped towards the elevator.  
  
“After you, Branwen.” He extended his gloved hand towards the door.  
  
“How are the old nuts and bolts?” I asked walking in.  
  
“Well if you must know.”  
  
“Well-oiled?”  
  
Ironwood narrowed his gaze at me and stepped from within, “You seem unusually chipper this morning.”  
  
“Didn’t you hear, they’ve advanced Yang to the finals?” I stretched out as the elevator doors began to close.  
  
“Congrats to her.” He didn’t look back.  
  
When the doors opened in Ozpin’s office, I found the old man hunched over his desk, tea cooling in front of him.  
  
“So how is the world ending today?” I asked.  
  
He looked up at me, “Our Atlesian guest wants to move Amber’s replacement up.”  
  
“You mean use that machine?”  
  
“So it would seem.”  
  
“On a person?”  
  
“Something similar worked on PENNY.” He shrugged.  
  
“PENNY is an android. Amber is a human. PENNY didn’t have a body. Amber and whoever you’re trying to use do.” I felt myself reaching for my flask but stayed my hand.  
  
“Have a little faith, Qrow.” Ozpin leaned back, “We’re going to give the girl a choice after all.”  
  
“Amber doesn’t have a choice.”  
  
“Amber doesn’t have much time.” He stared me down over his glasses.  
  
“Fine.” I retreated to the pillars near the back of his office. The gears of the massive Beacon clock clicking in the silence that fell between us.  
  
“I am trying to do what’s best for Beacon, for Vale and the whole world.”  
  
“I know.” I took a swig from my flask at last, “I’m trying to do the same, it’s just this world is moving awful fast for me anymore it seems.”  
  
“That’s called growing old, Qrow.”  
  
I sighed and didn’t respond until the elevator doors pinged open. Bronze heels clacked across the floor and a tall girl with long red hair emerged. Pyrrha Nikos. Both Ruby and Yang had spoken of her. She grinned at Ozpin as he gestured for her to have a seat.  
  
“Welcome, Miss Nikos.”  
  
“Hello, Professor Ozpin.”  
  
They exchanged pleasantries, Ozpin asking about the tournament.  
  
"Thank you, Professor Ozpin, but I couldn't have made it this far, not without my teammates."  
  
Seriously? "Personally, I think it's the other way around."  
  
"I'm sorry, but I don't believe we've been introduced." She stood up to talk to me, green eyes calculating, judging whether or not I was a threat, she had a warrior’s eyes already.  
  
"Name's Qrow." I nodded, she would do alright.  
  
"Qrow, is a trusted colleague of mine." Ozpin said.  
  
"Professor, if you don't mind me asking, why have you called me here?"  
  
"Please take a seat." Ozpin gestured and the politics began.  
  
“Miss Nikos, what’s your favorite fairytale?”  
  
“Fairytale?” she asked.  
  
I sighed as Ozpin had her recount the four seasons.  
  
"My mother loved that story." Pyrrha finished.  
  
"Would you believe me if I told you that one has been around since I was a boy?" Ozpin asked.  
  
"You're not that old, Professor." Pyrrha chuckled.  
  
"Well, would you believe me if I told you it was true?" he narrowed his gaze at her.  
  
"I beg your pardon?"  
  
He then began to explain the maidens to her, but Pyrrha clearly had her doubts.  
  
"Yeah, first time hearing it's pretty crazy" I said.  
  
Pyrrha glanced between me and Oz, "You're serious?"  
  
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Oz asked.  
  
"No," Pyrrha sighed, "But why are you telling me?"  
  
"We're telling you, Pyrrha Nikos, because we believe that you are next in line to receive the fall maiden's powers."  
  
'We?" Pyrrha asked.  
  
Just then the elevator opened, a slightly awkward Glyna and Ironwood adjusting their sleeves as the car stopped.  
  
"Sorry we're late." Ironwood snapped.  
  
"Wait, what is this?" She asked, "Who are you?"  
  
Pyrrha got increasingly nervous though Glynda tried to assure her everything was alright, I found I couldn’t open my mouth to say the same.  
  
"Except we've got a little part time job." I said.  
  
"We're the protectors of this world." Ironwood added.  
  
"We need your help." Ozpin implored.  
  
We piled into the elevator, Oz separated me from Ironwood, and we surrounded Pyrrha. I think Glynda tried to give her a comforting look, but I thought her smile just looked scarier.  
  
We descended from Ozpin’s office, but went lower than the ground floor of Beacon, to the Vault, and Amber’s life support.  
When the door opened, Pyrrha hesitated and I brushed past her, Ironwood and Oz leading us through the underbelly of the school. I had only visited Amber once since the accident. I hated seeing her trapped in Geppetto’s machine, knowing that her attacker was still out there looking for her, and that I couldn’t do anything but watch. As her life support came into view I glanced back at Pyrrha and Glynda talking. It was one thing to see myself in danger, it was another to bring someone as young as Yang into the fight, and surely to follow would be Ruby.  
  
Glynda reprimanded me for staring, and we approached Amber. Pyrrha stepped forward to study the casing that kept Amber in stasis, and the identical empty one beside it. She fidgeted as we answered her questions. She didn't like this stasis method anymore than I did, and though she was afraid, she seemed to agree to it, eager to help. If only she knew.

“I still don’t like this.” I said as we watched her depart later that day.  
  
“Nor do I.” Ironwood sighed.  
  
“I thought you would be all over this new research opportunity.” I felt Glynda elbow my ribs but ignored it.  
  
“I don’t like the necessity of it.” Ironwood glanced downward, “I liked Amber.”  
  
“We all did.” Ozpin pressed his cane down between us.  
  
I was about to say something when Ironwood spoke up, “I hear that Yang has made it to the singles rounds, perhaps I’ll see some of that famous Branwen fighting?”  
  
I grinned at that, “Sorry, but you’ll be seeing Xiao Long combat from Yang.”  
  
“That’s right, it was Ruby who learned the Branwen ways.” Ironwood nodded.  
  
“My ways, Summer’s ways, not Branwen ways.” I insisted.  
  
“Your sister though, she fought like a demon.”  
  
“I know.”  
  
Yang does too.  
  
Yang does all too well.

Sure enough the next day, eight eager contenders lined up to be matched against each other as I searched the rows of Colleseum seats. I spotted Ironwood near the front and saw Glynda get up from beside him, storming away.  
  
I sauntered over, “Is this seat taken?”  
  
Dejected he waved towards me, “Not anymore, I guess.”  
  
“Trying to rebuild bridges?” I asked.  
  
“Something like that.” Ironwood studied the contestants lined up carefully, “Our possible maiden looks anxious.”  
  
“Most of them do," I studied the contestants: some Mistral kid, a guy from Vacuo, a couple flamboyant Atlesians, PENNY, Yang, and nervous Pyrrha. "We’ve sure put a lot of weight on her, I can’t say as I blame the kid.”  
  
“I think she’ll be fine.” Ironwood chuckled, “Yang looks right at home.”  
  
“So does PENNY.” I watched Ironwood’s face light up with pride as the announcers explained the rules. Luck would have it that for the first round, Yang was matched up against Mercury Black.

The other students left and Yang and Mercury approached each other as the stage lights came up.  
The two squared off, I thought this would be an easy fight for her, but right out of the gate, that kid matched her swings with powerful kicks. His boot collided with her fist and the force reverberated through the air, but just as quickly they began trading blows, none really landing. He moved a good deal faster than she did, I was worried he might actually get some hits on her. Yangs fists might be unstoppable, but if anything could compete, this kid's legs could.  
  
They went blow for blow, until she nearly knocked him off the stage but his boots shot pressurized air and he launched himself back onto the stage, sending rapid kicks towards Yang. She dodged back and forth until he shot a blast of air at her, Yang dodged, something was off about that strike.  
  
The air was infused with his aura. Mercury swung his leg high and though he was out of range of Yang, with every kick into the air he launched a pressurized blast of air infused with his aura. Yang dodged a few and they danced in the center of the stage. I didn't like the look of that air swirling around the stage. It almost obscured the fight from the audience.  
Mercury managed to get a kick in, not particularly hard, but enough that Yang went down. All the blasts of air circling the stage descended on Yang, surrounding her in a cloud of smoke and pummeling her into the stage.  
  
"I guess she doesn't quite have your sister's stamina." Ironwood said.  
  
"Oh believe me, she's just getting started." I leaned back and tried to smile, but I was nervous too, seconds away from snapping the seat handle.  
Mercury dusted himself off, congratulating himself on surely winning the match but as he walked away the smoke cloud erupted in an inferno, and there was my loveable little niece, her hair on fire again.  
Her eyes glowed Branwen red as they always did when she used her semblance. Twice as fast as before she sent punches of Embers at Mercury, beating him down with sheer power.  
  
"Like I said, Xiao Long fighting, with her own Yang kind of punches."  
  
"Impressive."  
  
Ironwood was clapping slowly as she caught Mercury in the solar plexus, his aura flashing across him, trying to protect him. Yang's right hook landed squarely across his face and Mercury fell against the ground, the buzzers announced his aura depletion.  
  
Yang straightened up, her eyes clear and lavender again.  
  
As the stage sank down I turned to Ironwood to brag.  
  
"So what do you think? Didn't we raise a good fighter?"  
  
In a moment, we heard a sickening crunch and the auditorium was filled with boos and hisses. Ironwood and I stood up, staring down at the scene on stage. Yang was raised over Mercury who cowered on the ground, clutching his leg.  
  
As he cried out, Atlesian knights and guards swarmed the stage, Yang staring at them helplessly. They surrounded her, ordering her to stand down.  
  
Ironwood and I glanced at the replay on the monitors, Yang striking him as they walked off stage. It played over and over again as they commanded her to stand down.  
  
Mercury's teammate rushed the stage.  
  
"Urgh, I need to talk to her." I turned to go, but audience members were getting up and booing at Yang. I had to push my way through.  
  
Ironwood's gloved hand clasped my shoulder, halting my progress. I turned to look at him, our anger colliding between us.  
  
"Just what kind of fighter did you raise, Qrow?" Ironwood asked.  
  
As I looked away from him and down at the kids on stage, Mercury's teammate seemed vaguely familiar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, I have not written any of this in a really long time and for that I am sorry. I have a lot more to write about Volume 3 and 4. I really want to catch up to the story currently and see where I can take it from there. But I am just now finishing up my Spring semester and I hope to get back to this ASAP, please bear with me, but first: Finals :'(


	29. Half-True Hopes

“You are not going to arrest her.” I said to Ironwood as we hurried to the lower level of the colosseum.  
  
“And why not, Qrow? She assaulted a student.” Ironwood asked.  
  
“We were students once, we’ve made mistakes under the heat of battle, we only saw what the cameras recorded, let’s talk to them.” I insisted.  
  
An Atlesian guard briefed the general.  
  
“Mr. Black is being taken to a treatment facility in Vale.” Ironwood sighed, “That leaves us with only our prime suspect.”  
  
“She’s just a kid.”  
  
“She’s a huntress.” Ironwood snapped.  
  
“And she’s my student.” Ozpin’s cane clacked against the ground as he approached us, “Miss Xiao Long is just a student, and no doubt a scared, ashamed student at present. Do not make this into any more of a witch hunt than it already is. Remember who our real enemies are.”  
  
“I’m trying to.” Ironwood glared at me, “I don’t trust thieves.”  
  
“And I don’t trust robots.” I stared him down.  
  
“Boys, put your egos away.” Glynda approached with a clipboard, “Let’s get Miss Xiao Long out of here before this escalates any further.”  
  
“Agreed. I suggest house arrest.” Ozpin nodded.  
  
“Her father is away on missions, she has no guardians who can look after her at home.” Ironwood said.  
  
I was about to protest when Ozpin spoke up, “She has Beacon. We’ll take her to the dorms and you can question her there away from the tournament and media eyes.”  
  
“Fine.” Ironwood nodded.  
  
“I need to go see her with you.” I insisted.  
  
“I think you should actually come with me,” Ozpin said, “We’ll find the Mistral officials and apologize on behalf of Vale for this whole debacle.”  
  
“But my niece--”  
  
“Will not be treated with undue hostility.” Glynda said, “I will see to that.”  
  
“Thank you.” I said as I followed Ozpin away, a displeased Ironwood nodded at me.  
  
As we walked away my hand fell to my flask in my pocket and I realized it was full.  
  
I hadn’t drank today.  
  
Time to fix that.  
  
“Is now really the time?” Ozpin asked as we walked.  
  
I answered him by taking another swig. 

It took us awhile to get through the crowds, all the students were anxiously being herded by the Atlas officials out of the colosseum. By the time we managed to get to the Vale hospital, we found that the Haven kids had rushed Mercury back to Mistral, something about seeing a specialist and that did not bode well. After Ozpin did all the necessary ass-kissing, I was released. He didn’t ask me to apologize on behalf of Yang, and I wouldn’t anyway. He just had me stand beside him. I couldn’t tell if he had wanted the Mistral buffs to see me, or me to see them, but I couldn’t care less about them anyway, there was only one team on my mind at present.  
  
I returned to Beacon’s grounds, and found three of the four members of team RWBY leaving the dorm buildings.  
  
“Uncle Qrow!” Ruby ran headlong at me, none of the usual glee in her voice but she hugged me tight anyway.  
  
“Hey, kiddo, how is your sister?” I half-hugged her back as Weiss and Blake fell in step behind her.  
  
“She’s upset.” Ruby sighed as she stepped back.  
  
“Understandably so.” Weiss chirped in.  
  
“She says Mercury attacked first.” Blake wouldn’t look up.  
  
“It didn’t look like that.” I acknowledged, “But something doesn’t seem right.”  
  
“Yang wouldn’t do that, you know her, Uncle Qrow.” Ruby insisted. I did know her, but I also knew I wouldn’t put something like that past Raven, perhaps we had passed more of the Old Bird onto our family than we realized.  
  
“We’ll just have to see what everyone says once that kid lands in Haven.” I shrugged.  
  
Blake looked especially jumpy.  
  
“Yang is a good kid, you all are.” I nodded to them.  
  
“We’re going to get some dinner, you should come with us, Uncle Qrow.” Ruby’s eyes got a bit of their light back, “I know Blake and Weiss would just love to hear your hunting stories.”  
  
“I thought I’d check on Yang,” Their faces were polite but told me Ruby was the only one really interested, “Besides, hanging with kids just isn’t my style.”  
  
“Awww, okay Uncle Qrow, she could probably use a pep talk.” Ruby sighed.  
  
I ruffled Ruby’s hair, “I think the noodle shop is having a sale.”  
  
Ruby laughed and turned to go, “Oooh that’s fantastic! Come on, guys! We can bring some back for Yang.”  
  
She waved for her teammates to follow her as she walked away.  
  
“I know they’re a handful, both of them, but they do mean the world to me.” I said to Blake and Weiss. Blake nodded and started after Ruby. As she turned away, Weiss’s eyes narrowed at me.  
  
“Mr. Branwen.” She folded her arms, just as haughty as Winter, with a much more irritating voice.  
  
“Miss Schnee.” I nodded.  
  
“I spoke with my sister about you.”  
  
“Oh Gods,” I laughed and tried to compose myself, “That must have been quite the talk. What exactly did your dear sister have to say?”  
  
“She’s already forgiven you for your erratic and reckless behavior in the courtyard last week.” Weiss’s eyes told me she had not without her needing to add it but she did anyway, “I am not so kind, and frankly I can’t understand why she is being so nice. I can’t tolerate slights to my family, we have a reputation--”  
  
In the gutter, I snickered, “I’m sorry, I just can’t help it.”  
  
“I know.” Weiss snapped and I straightened up with surprise, “My family has done a lot of awful things. I know that. They have hurt a lot of people, but I want to do better.”  
  
“And I’m sure you will.” And I was, she had Winter’s fire.  
  
“Winter cares about you, and though I don’t understand it,” Weiss sighed, “I have to begrudgingly accept her. . . alliances.”  
  
“If that’s what you want to call it.” I shrugged, “I may not get along with all of your family, but you seem like a good kid.”  
  
“Weiss, are you coming?” Ruby hollered back at us.  
  
“As for your family, she’s like my family too, so I’ll do all I can to take care of her.” Weiss glanced between Ruby and then back to me.  
  
“As will I.” I stared as Weiss walked away, unsure if she meant Ruby, Yang or both, probably both. I of all people knew how close team members became at Beacon. I took another swig of my whiskey and started up to the dorms. 

I found Yang sitting on her bed, staring out the window.  
  
“Hey there, Firecracker.” I leaned against her wall.  
  
“Hey, Qrow.” Yang sighed without looking at me.  
  
“Why’d you do it?” I asked.  
  
“You know why.” she snapped.  
  
“All I know is that you attacked a helpless kid.” I shrugged, “So either you’re lying, or crazy.”  
  
“I’m. Not. Lying.” Yang insisted, her voice and eyes so hard I thought I was staring at my sister, but I saw that sincerity there nonetheless.  
  
“Crazy. Got it.” I bounced on my feet and paced her room.  
  
“Who knows? Maybe I am. . .”  
  
“And here I thought your dark haired friend was the emo one.” I paced awhile longer and the two of us fell silent. I had no answers for her, nothing that could help.  
  
“I saw my mom.” she said suddenly. She explained having seen her sword, saving her at just the last moment. Just as Raven described, maybe my sister wasn’t as slick as she thought.  
  
“You’re not crazy, Yang. That was your mom. Let me guess, she didn’t say a word, did she?” I asked.  
  
“How did you know that?” she asked, lavender eyes wide at last.  
  
“I don’t see my sister very often but we somehow always end up in touch, whenever it suits her.” I sighed.  
  
“You talk to her?” Yang asked, “That was real?”  
  
“Yeah. She finds me on occasion.” I lied, “I had a tip from my most recent assignment, and wanted me to give you a message.”  
  
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” she asked.  
  
“I was trying to wait for the right time,” I tried to think of the best way to phrase her crazy code, “And this sure ain’t it. But I guess you deserve to know. She wanted me to tell you: she saved you once, but you shouldn’t expect that again.”  
  
And though she never asked me to deliver the message specifically, I knew it was true.  
  
“Raven has an interesting way of looking at the world that I don’t particularly agree with. She is dangerous, but you’re a tough egg, kiddo. You shouldn’t let this get you down, you had a slip up, and sometimes bad things just happen,” I sighed, “Gods know I’ve made plenty of mistakes. I say it’s time you move on.”  
  
“Move on to what?” Yang asked.  
  
I sat down beside her, “Well, Raven let some info slip before she took off. If you ever want to track her down, I think I might be able to help.”  
  
“Would you really?”  
  
“You deserve to know your history.” I sighed, “Even if it’s not pretty.”  
  
“What’s not pretty?”  
  
“Thievery for one.” I scratched my chin, “Did you know that we are twins?”  
  
“You and . . .my mom?” Yang asked, “I didn’t.”  
  
“We don’t look like it, at least not anymore. We might have once we were little kids. Hells, we did everything together as kids. We were inseparable.”  
  
“What happened?” Yang leaned forward  
  
“We just saw the world with different eyes.” I sighed, “Had different priorities, I guess.”  
  
“I hope that doesn’t happen to me and Ruby.” She fidgeted nervously.  
  
“I don’t think you have to worry about that.” I clasped her shoulder, “Raven and I already had very apparent differences by the time we came to Beacon. We were just doing different things with our lives, both very dangerous, hers are just criminal more often than not.”  
  
"It's so odd to think that I have a mom other than Summer." Yang sighed, "I wanted so badly for someone to love me after she died, but you and Dad were there, you've been there since the beginning. I just wish I knew why my mom wasn't."   
As a less than perfect father, I hated that part of me sympathized with Raven, "You never know why people do the things they do sometimes."   
“I guess. Hey, Uncle Qrow, how come you never had a family of your own?”  
  
“I’ve got you, Ruby, and your dad too sometimes, when we’re not beating each other up.” I tried to laugh and make light of it, but I had to wonder, if I hadn't ran away from Ruby, what kind of conversation Yang and I would be having now.  
  
“You’ve never wanted anything else?” she raised an eyebrow at me, almost like she could see the guilt bubbling up in my stomach.  
  
“It just isn’t in my cards.” I got up to go, “Rest up, kiddo. Once this tournament is over, you and me, we’ll go see Mistral, and your mother.”  
  
I tried not to run out of the room. It just wasn’t in my cards. Anymore. Unless. . . there was a certain Atlesian Specialist’s number tucked away in my scroll, but there were still rose thorns in my heart and I knew they would only wrap tighter the longer I kept the truth from Ruby, maybe I would tell her after this was all over and it would be a family trip to Mistral of a sort. Looking for Yang’s mom, and a way to control my semblance.

All the maybes in life have a funny way of turning into nevers though.

And the next day, I thought maybe I would see the start of a grand rivalry, Penny and our potential Fall Maiden Pyrrha matched up. I was curious to see how an aura infused android would do against the prodigy. But they would never fight again.


	30. The Battle Begins

I made my way into the Colosseum, my eyes on the stage as Pyrrha and Penny were paired up to fight. I grinned and started down the audience rows, when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I turned to see a frantic Glynda, “Qrow, we need to talk.” 

“Oh, what’s this, professor?” I asked, “Trouble with Jimmy?”

Her eyes narrowed, “Do you want to clear your niece’s name or not?” 

“What are you talking about?” I folded my arms.

“There’s some footage at Beacon Tower that I need you to see.” Glynda nodded, “Ozpin has a hunch, I’ll tell you more there.”

I followed Glynda out, as we were leaving a certain shrill voice shouted, “Mr. Branwen!”

We turned to see Blake and Weiss running up to us.

“Oh, hi Professor Goodwitch.” Blake nodded, “We were hoping to talk to Ruby’s uncle.”

“Right.” Glynda stepped back, “We’ve got to be there in five minutes, Qrow.”

“I gotcha,” I waved her off and turned to the kids, “So how can I help you?”

“You’re not going to watch the fight?” Blake asked.

“That was my plan, but alas other matters are more pressing, I’m sure I’ll see a recording.”

“Well, anyway, we were wondering if you had seen Ruby?” Weiss asked.

“Not since talking to you guys last.” I shrugged, “I figured she would have been the first one in the stands.”

“We thought so too.” Blake scratched her head.

“Hey, it’s a big festival, check the concessions, maybe she got hungry again.” 

“She does do that a lot.” Weiss sighed, “Thank you, Mr. Branwen.”

“Well I better catch up with Goodwitch, don’t want her going bad.” I turned to go.

“Ugh, I see where they get the bad puns from.” Blake muttered as they scampered away.

 

My puns are perfect, I don’t know what they’re talking about.

 

I caught up to Glynda in the control room, she was frantically moving between screens, so focused she didn’t hear me approach.

“Ugh, I hate it when you just appear.” She snapped as I set my flask on the counter.

“Anyway, what’s this about clearing Yang’s name?” I asked.

Glynda pulled up a map of Remnant, “We’ve been talking with some of our agents in Mistral, at the last minute one of the Haven teams was switched out for another.”

“Let me guess, Mercury’s team? What does the kid have a record or something?”

Glynda tapped her chin, “Well I got ahold of their records, which are spotty at best, almost non-existent.”

“Why didn’t that throw up a red flag?” I asked.

“Ironwood assured me it was all because of some update he was running, but I wonder if something got lost in the cracks, if these kids snuck in.” Glynda brought up their profiles, “I don’t think they’re ordinary kids.”

“Go on.”

“I ran a check on Mercury, and his father was a famous assassin in Mistral,” Glynda tapped on his picture.

“Not that strange, it’s a rough place.” I shrugged.

“As you well know,” Glynda nodded, “But look at this, Marcus Black was found dead at his home less than a year ago, and Mercury turned up at a treatment center with severe damage on his legs.”

“So he’s had them broken before?”

“No, he had them amputated before.”

“What?”

“He’s got cybernetic replacements, he doesn’t have his original legs anymore.” Glynda brought up a picture of him fighting, “The weapons he fights with aren’t just his boots, they’re in his legs, and yes, they’re hooked up to his nervous system, and yes, Yang packs an incredibly hard punch but it occurred to me that even with her semblance, her fists shouldn’t shatter his steel.”

“So why play the injured dog?” I took a swig from my flask.

“Exactly. At any rate this will certainly affect their claims that Yang seriously hurt him, though at the moment it does look like Yang still struck first. I get the feeling that something’s not right with them. That’s when I began to look into other members of their team. I can find absolutely nothing on Cinder.”

“Nothing?”

“Only that someone claiming to be her stepmother enrolled her at Haven, and kids get dropped off at academies when their home lives crumble all the time.”

“Still a whole team of kids with that much unknown?” I pointed at the screen, “What about the other one?”

“Emerald Sustrai, get this,” Glynda pulled up her profile, “Her semblance is individual hallucinations.”

I stared at her picture on the screen. Her eyes were red, “Glynda, outside of the Branwens, have you known many people to have red eyes?”

“No, I can’t say that I have, what are you suggesting?”

“And she’s from Mistral?” I squinted at her picture.

“Yes, as far as we know.” Glynda insisted, “Bear in mind that our information is apparently not as accurate or up to date as it should be.”

There were a lot of us Branwens so it wasn't impossible and that kind of semblance would likely appear with them but not only that. . . the longer I stared the more something seemed off until finally it clicked. I remember Amber, being held by two shadowy figures, and another drawing out her power, just as I saw them, green flashed before my eyes, and then red, and then I was fighting nothing, and Amber was in my arms.

That green though. . . 

“Glynda, can you bring up the fight in the colosseum?”

“Yes, I suppose.” Glynda typed away on the screens and then a few seconds later a video loaded and Penny and Pyrrha clashed against one another. Penny’s projectiles danced around Pyrrha, they circled each other in the arena, but my eyes were on the crowd.

“Do you have zoom?”

“Do you want me to zero in on the fight?” 

“No, can you see any faces in the crowd, especially in the front row?” I asked.

Glynda configured the computer, “We can’t see all camera angles, we’ll just have to wait to check the other sides as the broadcast changes, it looks like there’s Pyrrha’s teammates. Jaune, Nora, Ren, a few other Beacon students, an empty seat. That is a little odd.” 

“Keep scanning.” I leaned over the screen. We waited for the angle to change. They were moving all over the stage, it was hard for the cameras to keep up, it was one intense fight, I wished I could have been there in person for it. They would meet in the center in a flurry of blades, at first it seemed Pyrrha put Penny on the defensive but once Penny got out from under her guard she retreated and it was with her ranged weapons that she put Pyrrha on edge. Pyrrha dodged her lazer blasts left and right, and finally got a counter in, she sent Penny across the arena. 

Within seconds, Penny was charging Pyrrha again armed with her marionette blades and green aura blasting behind her, she returned to the center of the ring and knocked Pyrrha to the edges. Pyrrha tried to hold onto her weapon, using her polarity to call them back as Penny knocked her shield and spear away, but she was too slow. Penny raised her swords behind her as Pyrrha stumbled.

Penny launched them towards her and Pyrrha found her footing. 

Pyrrha sent a wave of her aura towards Penny and the swords and their wires flew backwards.

The aura blast was so strong that it tangled the wires around Penny.

The wires began to tear into her metal body.

“Oh shit. . .” I muttered.

Glynda screamed as Penny slowly came apart on the screen, bolts and wires laid open for the world to see, the lights in her eyes fading. 

“We’ve got to get there.” I turned away.

Glynda grabbed my arm, “To Ozpin, for orders.”

I nodded and the two of us ran for the elevator.

 

“Geppetto. . .” Glynda muttered as we ascended to Oz’s office. As the elevator climbed the Beacon clipboard Glynda held which projected the arena suddenly turned red and a black chess piece flashed across the screen.

A woman’s voice emanated from the screen, “This is not a tragedy. This was not an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust. Your safety. Your children. To men who claim to be our guardians but are in reality nothing more than men. Our Academie’s headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both. They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet what do we have here? One nation’s attempt at a synthetic army, mercilessly torn apart by another’s star pupil.”

“Who’s doing this? Glynda screamed at the screen.

“Something tells me a certain queen of darkness is involved somehow.” 

“Do you think Salem sent them?” Glynda asked.

“Without question.” I nodded as the voice went on and then erupted into static. We were nearing the top of the tower as the Grimm sirens blared.

The elevator pinged and the doors opened. Oz was standing by his windows, cane in hand, watching the Grimm swarm the colosseum. Glynda and I rushed towards him.

“Oz-”

“Get to the city.” He snapped and rounded on us.

“But-”

“Now!” He shouted.

I gave up trying and Glynda and I turned and ran for it.

We descended to find the city in chaos, Grimm and people ran through the streets with no sense of direction and nowhere to hide. I saw Beowolves cornering some civilians and tore through them. I shouted for the people to run indoors and to the school for safety but they continued right past me. As they scattered I looked up and saw airships landing. I was relieved until their doors opened and White Fang insurgents jumped forth.

“This day just keeps getting better and better.” I muttered just as a Deathstalker rounded the corner.

I transformed my scythe and launched at it, it’s pincers glanced off my blade and I was thrown back but I jumped forward again, this time going for it’s legs. I took out it’s left legs but it’s stinger swung wide, descending on me. I caught it in the guard of my scythe and we were at a stand still, the stinger straining to reach me. I fired off a round of my shotgun blasts and the Deathstalker reared. I landed on it’s back and braced myself for another swing of it’s tail.

Just as it swooped down a blast of purple energy knocked it off course and in the creature’s shock I was able to cut off the stinger and rolled for the ground. Another purple blast caught it in the face and it was knocked onto it’s back. I slashed through its underbelly and the beast dissipated into dust.

“Thanks Glynda.” I straightened up as the monster faded from under my feet.

“You know, it is okay to ask for help, Qrow.” she straightened her glasses and came to stand at my back as more Grimm tumbled through the streets. 

Atlesian knights marched in and formed a line in front of us facing off with the Grimm. Glynda and I lined up behind them and cut through the Grimm as we went.

“Glad to know I’ll have my old teacher beside me.” I said as a Creep snarled beside us. 

Glynda blasted it down, “Keep up, who are you calling old?”

“I am not old,” I insisted as another one came at us from the right.

I jumped and cut it down. A Beowolf came at us from behind, and Glynda blasted it down,   
“And neither am I.”

“Good to know.” I said as the Atlesian knights suddenly halted. We drew back hesitantly and the robots did an aboutface. 

Their helmets glowed blood red, their blasters raised towards us.

“What?” Glynda asked. As they advanced, she raised her crop. “Shit.”

“I knew we shouldn’t trust robots, I have been warning against this for years.” I lifted my blade.

“No one wants to hear it now, Qrow, just fight.” Glynda blasted them away.

“Fair enough.” I cleaved two in half. 

We took on the Grimm and the robots but their numbers only seemed to grow. We saw a ship dip out of the sky suddenly and erupt. I groaned, no doubt more Grimm would swarm that. I straightened up to walk towards it.

Suddenly the ground trembled, and the whole city began to shake, almost as strong as an active Grimm nest. Glynda fought to keep her balance and I drove my blade through the ground. We heard a tremendous roaring and as I glanced up to the sky a monstrous Grimm dragon flew through the sky, more Grimm spawning from slick black goo dripping from its wings. As it flew over the city hundreds of Griffons followed, their screeches ripping the air. 

This fight was far from over.


	31. Silver Might

I have always, without fail, wanted the best for my family from the time that was my sister and father, to when I made a family of my own with Summer, and to Ruby. Though I knew the power of her eyes would make her stronger, I was still hoping she might never need it. The battle raged on, and the worry in my stomach kept growing, if Salem did arrange this, if they were after the Maidens, we might need her eyes more than ever.

As the Grimm kept coming, I fired on the Griffons when a paladin came running at us. I leapt and cut through it, just as a few students appeared. They supported our flanks and the fight went on as more Atlesian knights swarmed us.

One of the students took them on, but he was outmatched, three were staring down his morningstar when a battered Ironwood emerged from the clearing smoke of the streets and began shooting down his own former soldiers.

He turned to me and Glynda, “This area is secure.”

A Griffon was descending behind him. I transformed my scythe and charged towards him.

“Qrow, this isn’t my doing!” he said as I ran.

I leapt into the air above him and cleaved the Griffon clean through.

“Hmph. You’re welcome, you idiot.” I straightened up, “I know you didn’t do this.”

Ironwood let his face fall in his hands. Glynda patted him on the shoulder.

“So what now, General?” I asked as I lowered my scythe.

Glynda stepped away from him as Ironwood stood at attention, “Someone’s done the impossible and gained the control of my machines. And that enormous Grimm seems to be fixated on the school. Glynda, gather up the local Huntsmen and Huntresses, establish a safe zone in Vale. We need to evacuate Beacon. Qrow, I’m leaving that to you and my men. I still need to get to my ship.”

Just as he finished speaking we heard a blast in the air and as we looked to the sky, there was an explosion in the bow of his airship and it began to tilt towards the ground. It sank in a fiery explosion among the buildings.

“Well, it won’t be much of a walk.” I grinned at him.

Any angry retort he had was swallowed by the metallic grinding sounds of the knights around us collecting themselves and the red glow on their faces fading out as they shut down.

I flew to Beacon tower, calling Oz on my scroll as I landed, “We’re getting the kids out of the school. Glynda’s got a safe zone set up in the city.” I said as soon as he picked up.

“I’m taking Pyrrha and a teammate to Amber. Do what you must, Qrow.”

“You too, Oz. I gotta find my girl.” Oz hung up before I finished speaking. I lead the newly restored knights and soldiers through the halls, finding students hiding or fighting and directed them towards the ships. I lead them to the courtyard where others were waiting for evacuations.

I turned to lead the knights back into the school when a flash of yellow caught my eye. I nearly dropped my scythe when I saw who it was. Yang was stretched out on the ground, white gauze stained red wrapped around the stump of her arm. Her eyes closed. Beside her, Blake sat up while a medic bandaged her stomach, her fists clenched and tears escaping her eyes. Weiss and Zwei stood over them protectively.

I ran up to them, Weiss’s eyes locked onto mine.

“Mr. Branwen.” Blake sniffled and we turned to her.

I knelt beside her, she tried to push the medic away but he was still tying up the gauze on her stomach.

“What is it, kid?” I asked.

“I’m so sorry.” she sniffled as the medic finally got up and moved on.

“What? Why?”

“It’s my fault,” she nodded towards Yang as her voice broke, “It’s all my fault.”

“Heh, now I know my niece better than anyone and I doubt that.” I patted her shoulder.

“You don’t know what happened though!” Blake clutched her stomach and trembled in pain. 

“Either way, you need to rest.” I pushed her gently back on the ground, “We’ll take care of Yang and all your teammates will take care of you. That’s what they do.”

“Ruby isn’t back yet.” Weiss said nervously as I stood up.

“Neither is Pyrrha or Jaune.” Nora said.

“I’ll be back.” I nodded and with one last look at Yang I turned and ran for the school. 

As I approached the doors I heard a familiar squeal and my heart soared as high as the tower.  
I turned and saw Ruby running across the courtyard.

“Uncle Qrow!” she waved.

I sighed and pointed my blade towards the evacuation zone. Ruby nodded and took off running towards the area. I slung my blade over my shoulder and the knights and I kicked down the school doors again. 

As soon as we entered we heard a roaring boom as something shot to the top of Beacon tower. I looked to the soldiers, “Search for survivors.”

I ran towards the elevator shaft and saw that it had been smashed all the way to the vault. There were lingering sparks above me, but I had to be sure.

I folded up my scythe and transformed. I dove down to the vaults and saw the pillars cracked, the floors shattered, and weird molten rock formations. There was no sign of Ozpin. No sign of Pyrrha and that friend either. I kept flying towards the stabilizing units, as they came into view I saw an arrow had pierced the glass and protruded through Amber’s chest. I transformed in front of it and reached out to touched the spiderwebbed glass on the canister.  
Amber’s head had lolled to the side. 

She was long gone.

I heard a cough and nearly squawked. I turned and saw that at the base of the other unit,  
Ozpin lay in a crumpled and burned heap. I rushed over and knelt beside him.

“Oz, how did this happen?” I reached for his head and tried to hold him up.

He swatted my hand away and grabbed me by the lapel, “It’s Cinder. She has the fall maiden’s power, she must be stopped. Glynda was right to suspect her team, I should have listened to her. There’s something-”

He paused to cough up a huge cloud of ash, “There’s something foul about her. This is Salem’s work.”

“I know, I’ll see what I can do.”

Oz clutched my lapel, “No, she’s too strong, you’ve got to get the relic out of here. I managed to hide it from her.” 

“Right, but first I have to get you out of here, and defend Beacon.”

Ozpin pushed me away weakly, “Qrow, you and I both know I am not getting out of here.”

“She’s that strong, huh?”

“We’ll need every soldier and Huntsman.” Ozpin wheezed. 

“I’ll do what I can.” 

A loud boom resounded above us and plaster started falling down around us.

“Get out of here.” Ozpin clutched his chest and coughed.

“I’ll come back for the relic.” I promised.

“You better!” Ozpin shouted after me as I transformed. I took wing and started up towards the surface.

As I neared the surface I saw that the broken elevator car was missing and transformed as I landed on the first floor. I heard a terrible roar above me and shouts coming from outside. I ran out the front of the school and saw that the top of Beacon tower was smashed to bits, rubble littered the ground and flashes of orange fire danced across the tower. The dragon Grimm circling was nearer the top of the tower, Weiss was embattled with other Grimm near the base of the tower. I cut through a Creep and glanced to the tower.

A red flash was running up a line of glyphs on the wall.

I transformed and took wing just as the red flash reached the top of the tower. My wings beat faster, I had to get there, I had to help her. I was almost there when the brightest purest white light flooded the sky. I struggled to keep my wings flapping as a huge burst of energy shot outwards from the top of the tower and my stomach was filled with so much dread I could barely stay airborne until at last the force was too much and I felt myself spiraling towards the ground.

My vision cleared as I fell, debris hung from the side of the tower. I transformed and slammed into it, grabbing onto loose wires and rocks. I needed to stop, to slow down. My heart was still pounding away even though I wasn’t a bird.

Ruby had used her eyes that was the only explanation.

Ruby!

I transformed again and started climbing the sky, as I neared the top of the tower I couldn’t believe what I saw. The massive Grimm dragon was encased in white crystal almost like ice, Ruby was crumpled on the ground against a large pile of rubble. Pyrrha and Cinder were nowhere in sight. There was however a bronze circlet in the center of the tower. That was definitely Pyrrha’s.

I transformed as I landed and held my blade out in front of me and Ruby. 

I had to make sure that dragon was really subdued. I approached the crystal encasement and the beast’s glowing red eye dimmed as I got nearer but I heard a rumbling in its throat like it wasn’t quite gone yet. I put my scythe away and retrieved the bronze circlet. I tucked it away and walked over to Ruby. "It's alright, I gotcha kiddo. . . I gotcha." 

She was out cold like Summer used to get when she over exerted her eyes, otherwise she seemed healthy. I scooped her up and hugged her close.

“I’m just glad you’re alive.” I said.

Her head lolled in response. Right, talking to unconscious people gets you so far. . .

I carried her down from Beacon tower, waiting for us on the first floor of the school was Weiss.

“Is Ruby okay?” She ran towards us.

“Unconscious but she’ll live, what’s the status down here?” I asked.

“All the Grimm ran away.” she shrugged.

“Well don’t put your foil away yet, they’ll be back.” I said as I walked towards the exit.

“Did you find Pyrrha? What happened up there?” she asked.

“Cinder killed Pyrrha.” I sighed, “Ruby . . . incapacitated the Grimm, I don’t know what happened to Cinder.”

“Is she. . . up there?” Weiss pointed in horror to the top of the tower. 

I lowered Ruby and kneeled. I reached for the circlet and passed it to Weiss, “This is what I found.”

“Then Pyrrha could still be alive!” Weiss’s eyes lit up.

“Keep hoping, kid.” I slung Ruby onto my shoulders and carried her like I used to when she fell asleep, “Let’s get back to the others.”

We made it to the evacuation zone. Yang was still there as well as Zwei, the blond monkey faunus, and the two members from Pyrrha’s team. They were up on their feet again, Nora and Ren.

“Weiss, we’re waiting on the next evac ship, was that big ice explosion you?” Nora asked.

“No, that was Ruby.” Weiss shrugged as I gently lowered Ruby beside Yang. Zwei licked her face hurriedly but she was still out of it.

“What?” Nora looked at Ruby in shock, I half smiled at her and sat beside the girls. The faunus sat down on the other side of them and nodded, both of us guarding them.

“Did you find Pyrrha and Jaune?” Ren asked, his voice cracking.

Weiss fidgeted and held the circlet forward. Ren and Nora fell silent as she spoke. “I got a phone call from Jaune, he’s-”

“Right here!” The tall blond kid came running up the walkway from the road to Vale, “I’m here, did you get to Pyrrha?”

Weiss remained silent.

He looked around frantically searching all our faces, “Where is she? The Grimm were stopped right? Where did she go?”

I sighed and started to stand back up.

“What happened to her?” he shouted.

I took the circlet from Weiss and extended it to him. As his eyes landed on it, he crumpled and he screamed so loud I was genuinely surprised Ruby and Yang didn’t regain consciousness. I pressed the circlet into his hands as he wept. 

Nora and Ren remained standing but Nora threw herself into his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. Ren held her and cried quietly as Zwei barked. 

We looked to the sky as an airship descended, only it wasn’t an evacuating ship, it was a Schnee ship, and Jacques Schnee was there for his daughter.

"We meet again, Jackie Schnee." I said as he exited the airship.

"I'm surprised you still have the energy for disrespect after all of this." He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Father, what are you doing here?" Weiss asked.

"Get on the ship, Weiss, we're going home." He didn't even look at her.

"But Father, we're not done defending the school." Weiss gestured around her, "Our mission isn't over."

"Your school is trashed. Finished. Now get on the ship." He insisted.

"Your daughter is a hero, you know that?" I asked.

"I didn't ask your opinion, Branwen." He snapped, "I've come to take care of my family."

He nodded at Yang and Ruby, "I suggest you do the same."


	32. Home

I was on the phone with Glynda when Yang woke up. Sun, the monkey faunus had stayed with us while we waited on Tai. He quietly started explaining to her. Tai was on his way here, he had abandoned his mission. I was filling Glynda in as best I could, but as the sun started to rise over the ruins of Beacon, I had to stop talking for a moment.

Beacon felt like my first real home, and it was devastated. 

Glynda had more reconstructing to do so she hung up. I turned to Sun and Yang. She was crying, she clenched her left fist against the ground and closed her eyes tight. Zwei barked but she ignored him. I reached down and petted her hair. I glanced at Ruby, she was still out of it, so still I almost thought. . .

I touched her hand and felt her warm pulse and sighed in relief, it was hard to tell what to expect with silver eyes. I stood up and glanced towards the school.

“Hey kid, watch over my nieces for a minute, there’s something I gotta check on.” 

“Yessir.” Sun nodded and saluted me.

“Good man.” I walked to the school. I could still hear the distant sounds of Grimm and sirens in Vale, but it was quiet in the courtyard. It was more quiet than I had ever heard it, even in the dead of night as kids. I walked down the same paths I went so many times, now strewn with rubble, and a few bodies. . .

I took my scythe out, everything might not be clear yet, I reminded myself as I went.

I approached the main building and was still met with silence within. Even as I descended towards the vault, only the sounds of my wings flapping echoed off the chamber. I was sure as I landed that I would hear Ozpin’s coughs down the hall. The Vault was still mostly intact, the same rubble as before so I was glad it at least hadn’t collapsed while I was gone.

I took out my scroll for an extra light source and advanced down the hall, I had been here far too many times for my liking in the past few days. When my scroll lights caught sight of the canisters I ran forward, but Ozpin was nowhere to be found.

“I thought you weren’t getting out of here,” I said to only my echo. I searched everywhere but there wasn’t so much as a blood trail. He was supposed to be here, even half dead he was supposed to be here. 

“So where the hell are you?” I shouted. I kicked the canisters only for pain to shoot up my leg, “You didn’t teach me shit. . . compared to the things I wish I knew.” What was I supposed to do now? I sat down with my back to Amber’s canister, and settled my thoughts. I was supposed to evacuate my family, protect the relic, find the old man, find the spring maiden, and something. . . there were just so many things I could or should be doing and my best bet at saving the world was missing. 

I was too busy looking for him and pitying myself that I almost didn’t see his cane, laid across Amber’s canister like an ornament. I got up from my pity party to pick it up and it made a clicking noise as it folded up under my hand. I might have imagined it, but it still felt warm.

If Oz had put his cane on her canister that meant he had moved at least a few feet under his own power. I sighed and looked at Amber’s body in the canister, all color had drained from her, and if not for the glass I was sure the smell would hit me. I didn’t know how I would get her out of there to bury her so I aimed my shotgun at the exposed wires beneath her and the blast created just enough a spark that the circuits began to sizzle. No doubt the Grimm would return to this place shortly. I did one last sweep of the Vault, but Amber’s canister was catching so it was time to get out of there with the relic.  
I still wasn’t exactly sure what it did, but I had promised to guard it for him.

I took off and flew to the surface, leaving the smoldering ruins behind. I kept flying all the way to the top of the tower, the dragon was still there. Still growling. The Grimm had been scared by Ruby’s initial blast but they would be back, even I was a little afraid to attack something that big. I backed off the tower and flew down to the surface. As I landed on the first floor of Beacon, I heard the sound of an airship docking as I transformed. I ran outside to see Tai landing with one of the smaller medical units from Patch, he must have called in a favor. I hurried towards the ship. Sun was helping Yang to stand and Tai had scooped up Ruby. I got there in time to pick up the corgi. 

“What’s going on, Qrow?” Tai asked as I boarded. Sun got Yang on board and told us he was heading out. Tai offered him a ride to the port but he just shrugged his tail and lept down.

“Ozpin is . . . missing.” I sighed and settled the corgi in my lap as we began our flight out of Beacon. Yang sat beside Ruby on the floor of the airship.

“Missing? Not dead?” He asked.

“I didn’t find a body,” I shrugged, “Before Ruby. . .did that, he was still alive, kinda beat up but hanging in there. Now, I don’t know where he is.”

“Ruby did what?” Yang asked, still not looking at either of us, “Is she going to be okay?”

“We were expecting her to do something like this someday. Ruby has a power, a special power that her mom had.” Tai said.

“Like her semblance?” Yang asked.

“No, stronger than that,” I added, “And harder on the body than that. But she’ll be okay, she’ll probably sleep for a few days.”

“Hey she did that the first week of summers anyway,” Tai laughed but Yang wasn’t having any of his joke. She nodded and turned away from us, hugging her knees to her chest and staring at the space where her arm used to be.

“So Ozpin is missing, what now?” Tai asked.

“For now, I figured we would just go home.” I sighed and took out my flask.

Before I could take a swig, Yang spoke up, “Can I. . . have some, Uncle Qrow?”

I lowered the flask and looked at Tai. Our eyes locked, his face expressionless. I sent a pleading glance towards Yang but she still had her back turned to us. I glanced back at Tai and he slowly nodded.

I cleared my throat, “One swig, Firecracker.”

Yang reached around, her left arm a little unsteady but she grasped the flask and took a big swallow. She still flinched a little bit from the burn and I felt a bit better. She passed it back and I took a swallow of my own. Not really knowing what else to do I shrugged and leaned towards Tai, offering him the flask.

He looked highly offended and glared at me the rest of the way to Patch.

They dropped us near the house. The corgi bounded out ahead of us. Tai helped support Yang and I scooped up Ruby. We got into the house and Yang shrugged off Tai. She plopped herself in front of the television and tried to get the world news running on the screen. She passed the remote to Tai as we got nothing but static.

“Ugh. . . nothing.” Tai said as he exhausted the control options.

“Just turn it off. Without the CCT, there’s no point.” I had Ruby halfway to the stairs.

“Communication down across the entire kingdom. No way to contact the outside world. And Ozpin’s still missing.” Tai sighed as he followed me up to the girls’ room.

“Yeah.” We opened their door.

“This is bad, Qrow.”

“Yeah, this is bad.” I laid Ruby on her bed and Tai started digging for her pajamas in the dresser. 

“How long do you think she’ll be out?” We looked up to see Yang in the doorway.

“A few days, it’s hard to say.” I shrugged.

“Huh.” Yang sighed, “Guess I’ll take the couch.”

“No wait,” I said, “Take the other room if you don’t want to disturb her.” 

“Where will you sleep then?” she asked.

“Me and the couch got pretty well acquainted many years ago.” I patted her shoulder.

Yang stayed silent for a minute, and then said, “What do I do, Uncle Qrow?”

“Well get some rest, get better.” 

She tore herself away from me, “You don’t get better from losing a limb.” 

Just saying the words had her crying. She stormed out to the guest room and laid face first on the bed.

We settled Ruby in and I got another call, this time from Ironwood, “General.”

“Branwen.” He sounded rough, “How is your family?”

“We could be better.” I sighed, “Ruby and Yang are both alive. Yang lost her right arm though.”

“That’s a shame, she fought well from what I understand.” Ironwood sighed.

“She hasn’t said much about it, but she described her attacker to Sun Wukong and he met the description of Adam Taurus.” 

“I still don’t want to believe they lead Grimm on the school.”

“We’ve seen them do worse. They’ve done things like this before and they’ll do it again.” 

“Have you heard from Ozpin?”

“No. I’ve secured the relic, but I haven’t found him anywhere. I don’t know what happened to him.”

The line was silent for a moment until Ironwood said, “With the fall of Beacon, perhaps you should put the relic into my care.” 

“I’m not so certain Beacon won’t rise again.” I leaned out the window.

“That Grimm dragon is still on the school and until the CCT is restored the countries can’t communicate. You could let me keep it safe, just for the time being.”

“I think we’ll be alright. I have faith in Glynda and in Ozpin. Do you?”

“Of course.” Ironwood snapped.

“Then we’ll do what we can.”

“What are you doing, Qrow?” He asked.

“At the moment, taking care of my family.” I sighed, hating how much I felt like Jacque, “Were you able to get her body?”

“I was. I will be taking it to Geppetto today, we leave for Atlas at noon.”

“Please send him my deepest condolences.” I scratched my chin, “I suppose even if he puts her back together, he’ll never recapture her aura.”

“That was always the danger with her choosing such a dangerous profession.” Ironwood sighed, “We won’t be able to communicate for a while, Qrow, not directly, but should you need anything, Atlas will open to you.”

“I have the feeling I’ll be going back in the field, Jimmy.” 

“Good luck, Qrow.” 

“Don’t say that to me.”

The next few days passed in a blur, Yang did little more than eat and sleep, but I can’t say I blamed her. Tai and I worked around the house and took turns watching Ruby. I chopped wood, fixed things here and there. 

One afternoon after I showered, I sat on the couch, exhausted. I slipped my head in my hands and sighed. It was so bizarre spending so much time around the house. This was my house, I reminded myself. Summer and I bought this house to spend our lives together in, to raise our children. I could still feel her there, it was so natural to see her baking cookies in the kitchen, attacking weeds outside with my scythe when she thought I wasn’t looking, and jumping over the railing just because she was that nimble. She would wait for me to come home on this very couch at night and vice versa. My heart ached to remember it, so long ago we had so much and now it was so hollow. I took out the photo of team STRQ. Beacon was gone. And we were gone. Summer dead, Tai recovering but still a drained Huntsman, Raven off on the winds of Mistral, and me. I didn't even want it back, I just wanted to stay. To stay with Ruby, and Yang and even Tai.

Well, maybe I wanted Summer back. 

I clutched my cross pendant, we’d traded that thing back and forth so much. I could almost hear her voice again, but a moment later I realized it wasn’t her voice I was hearing, but Ruby’s, she must be awake!

I hurried up the stairs and caught sight of her sitting up, Tai leaning forward talking with her. 

Just seeing her up again, felt a bit more like home.


	33. Moving Forward

I fidgeted in the hallway, watching them. She and Tai were still talking but I couldn’t wait any longer. I gave up trying and slipped into the room, taking a swig from my flask as I went.

“Look, that’s not important right now, we can talk about it later. Things are just. . . kind of a mess.” Tai said.

“It’s always a mess.” I sighed and drained the last of my whiskey. “Mind if we have a minute?” 

“What, I can’t stay here?” Tai asked glaring at me.

“Tai,” I begged, “Please.” Give me one moment with my daughter.

Tai got to his feet, still frowning at me. He kissed Ruby’s forehead.

“I’m glad you’re alright. I’ll go make us some tea.” He said. He left glaring at me.

I dragged the chair closer so that I was almost right next to her and sank into it, “So. . . how you feeling?”

“Um. . . I kind of hurt. . . all over.” Ruby looked at her hands.

“That makes sense, after what you did.” I smiled at her and folded my arms across my chest. I was proud of her despite myself, she had done so much, knowing less than Summer ever did.

“You guys keep saying that! That I did something. What are you talking about?” She asked.

I chewed on my words for a minute and leaned forward, “What’s the last thing you remember?”

As Ruby explained seeing the white light, her head hurting, and Pyrrha dying I nodded slowly, just like Summer when she had no control.

“The night you met Ozpin, do you remember what the first thing he said to you was?” I asked. She didn’t remember so I launched into talking about silver eyes. She listened, almost a little afraid. 

“You see the creatures of Grimm, were afraid of those silver-eyed warriors.” I finished up, “It’s a ridiculous story, but your mom was one of those great silver-eyed warriors.” And thank the Gods silver eyes were stronger than Branwen eyes. Ruby smiled at the mention of Summer. I got up and went to the window.

“Wait. . . wait, how did you know what Ozpin said to me the night we met?”

“All those missions I go on, all the times I’m away in some far off place. . . It’s been for Ozpin, but he’s missing now. Something’s been set in motion. . . and with Oz gone, I’ll have to pick up where he left off.” I sighed.

“Then what can I do?” she asked. Of course she wanted to do something, never mind she just did more than I could ever imagine asking of her. She went on, “If I’m so special, then I can help! Right?”

I almost laughed, “You really wanna help? Get some rest. You’re in no condition to go anywhere right now.” I started towards the door, “Besides, our enemy’s trail leads all the way to Haven. That’d be quite a trip for a pipsqueak like you. Catch ya later, kiddo.” 

“Hey Uncle Qrow.” Ruby called.

I turned around, “Yeah?”

“Thank you, for always taking care of me.”

“That’s what I do.” I shrugged.

“If you’re not leaving just yet, can you talk with me sometime? Tell me about mom?” she asked.

“You don’t want to ask your dad?” I scratched my head.

“You know more than him.” she insisted, “It seems like you knew Mom better.”

I swallowed hard, “Rest up, kid. I’ll be back in a bit, then we’ll talk. I just gotta run an errand.”

To the liquor store.

 

Yang and Ruby were both slow to recover. Ruby was up on her feet almost immediately, Yang was still sitting in her bed all day, not even reading or doing much of anything that I could see, so one day I knocked on her door.

“Yeah.” Yang didn’t look up as I entered. 

I crossed the room and leaned against the foot of her bed, “How you doing, firecracker?”

“Don’t call me that.” She kept looking out the window, “I’m not a firecracker, not anymore.”

“You having fun, just sitting around, existing?” I asked.

“Of course I’m not.” she sighed.

“Well, how would you like to hear about your mom?”

Yang finally looked over, “My real mom?”

“Raven Branwen, my twin sister.” I sighed, “We were raised together, to be the next heads of the bandit tribe of Branwens. I was never very good at it, but Raven was very, very good.” 

“So she’s a criminal.” Yang sighed.

“It was our way of life. We came to Beacon under the special request of Ozpin to get away from it, but it has a way of sucking you back in.” 

“Is that why she left me?” Yang asked.

“That is complicated and something that you’ve got to ask her.” I glanced out the window, “Raven was torn between us as a family and the tribe as her family. She is their leader now. Their base is in Anima, outside of Mistral.”

“That’s far away.”

“It is, but when you get better, maybe I could take you.” 

“I don’t think I’m going to get better.”

“I have faith in you. You gotta keep moving forward, kid.” 

We heard a noise by the door and there was Tai clearing his throat and Ruby holding a tray with lunch.

“Hey you need to eat to get your strength back.” Tai smiled.

“Thanks Dad.” Yang nodded.

“Mind if I keep you company over lunch?” Ruby crossed the room. I nodded to her and stepped out into the hall with Tai.

“We need to talk outside, Qrow.” Tai was glaring at me.

We headed downstairs and out to the backyard, on the other side of the house from Yang and Ruby.

“What’s going on, Tai?” 

“I asked you not to tell Yang about Raven.”

“She’s her mother, she has a right to know about her mother.” I insisted.

“She’s a child, my child, and I know she’s growing up but I want to protect her for a while longer. I can’t do that if you take her to Mistral.”

“She would be fine in Mistral.”

“She has one arm, Qrow, and your sister’s- your people are vicious.” 

“They’re not my people anymore.” I narrowed my gaze at him.

“Exactly!” Tai threw up his hands, “What makes you think they would accept her? Or even if they did see her eyes turn red when she got angry, what makes you think they would let her leave?”

“She’s Raven’s daughter, they wouldn’t dare try to stop her, and I wouldn’t let them keep her.” I said.

“You’re not as strong as you used to be, Qrow.” Tai stared at the ground.

“Oh really? Why do you say that?” I asked.

“Then let’s have a rematch, see how you are doing.” Tai straightened up.

“With fists or weapons?” I asked.

“Fists. My weapon is getting repaired.” Tai nodded.

“I thought so.” I set my scythe down, “Well, you gonna come at me, old man?”

“That’s just what I was about to say to you!” 

He came at me with a few jabs and a straight kick. I dodged the punches and countered the kick, knocking his leg away from me but just as I got it down his fist came flying at my face, I had just enough time to get my arm up and deflect it. Tai thought he had me, but I had longer legs, and I caught him in the stomach as we separated, but we didn’t stay apart for long. 

I rounded up a punch and came for his jaw, he dodged and tried to get behind me I got his leg out from under him but as he went down he tried to throw me over him. I rolled away and we both got back to our feet and jumped on each other again. I caught his fist and he caught my elbow coming down on his shoulder and for a moment we were caught fighting against each other’s strength. Tai always had bigger muscles than me, but I still had Branwen strength, and speed.

We spun away from our stalemate and traded blows for what felt like hours. We both started to wear down but neither of us showed any signs of quitting so we kept punching and kicking. I knew he favored being more direct and I was still quicker than him, but he was not letting me in easily.

I came swinging with a punch to his ribs, dodging a roundhouse from him, he went down, but he didn’t stay there. He practically bounced off the ground and launched at me again, he caught me in the chest with a blow and it was my turn to reel back in shock. My hands went up to block him and I danced around his punches, growing more wild as he came, this was the dragon Xiao Long, no longer injured but now he was angry. 

He had me going backwards but I got under his guard and went for his feet again, he was always top heavy, he almost avoided me, but I dashed his right leg down into the ground and the rest of him followed. I didn’t have time to celebrate, he pulled me right down with him and tried to pin me down. I caught him in the neck and he recoiled, but not before the weight of him landed against my stomach.  
We both groaned in pain and halfheartedly swung at each other, but the reality of where we were seemed to sink in and both of us checked our blows. We were laying in our backyard. Tai’s face was scratched up from the last time I sent him into the dirt, and I could see a bruise forming on his neck where I’d caught him. I could feel my own body reacting to the proof of his punches. 

“We must look like idiots.” I sighed.

“Yeah.” Tai sighed, “I still worry about if we’re good for them. If you’re good for them.”

“You’re still mad that Yang asked for a drink?” 

“A little bit.”

“We were drinking at her age, probably far more than she does.”

“I don’t want her to cope with her life using alcohol like you.” 

“I don’t-”

“Oh yeah, yeah it’s for your semblance, I know. But they don’t. All they see is their uncle drinking himself to death.” Tai looked away.

“I mean I think I’m fighting myself to death, really.” 

“This isn’t funny, Qrow.” he sighed.

“I know.” I sat up, “I will cut back on it, a little bit at a time until I find my tolerance, but you know I’ll be a risk to them sober.”

“I don’t want you being a risk to them drunk.” Tai got up and extended his hand to me.

I took it, “I’ll do what I can.”

 

As the fall turned itself into winter, I could see Ruby getting more and more restless. I caught her in the backyard drilling herself with the scythe. I waited for her in the kitchen as she came in I cleared my throat.

“Ooh. . . uh hi, Uncle Qrow.”

“You’re getting ready to leave, aren’t you?” I tapped the coffee mug between my fingers.

Ruby fidgeted by the door, “Uhuh. . .what would make you say that?”

“You know your mom was bad at lying too.” I sighed.

“I’m just practicing.” She grinned at me as she approached the table.

“Of course you are.” I rolled my eyes and shoved a plate of cookies towards her.

“Tell me more about my mom though,” Ruby’s eyes pleaded, “You promised.”

I took a swig from my mug. “What do you want to know?”

“Uhmm. . .everything.” Ruby stuffed her face as she sat down.

“Well for starters, I’ll never make these as good as she did.” I tapped the plate, “But I don’t need to tell you that.”

I pulled the photo of our team out and set it on the table between us, “Summer, Taiyang, Raven, and Qrow.” 

“She wore a cape, like us.” Ruby studied the photo, “Do I look like her?”

“Almost exactly.” I shrugged, “Except your hair, hers was bright red.”

Ruby touched her hair, “What was she like?”

“Like you, just as stubborn, just as kind and caring.” I sighed.

“What was she like with Dad?” 

I gulped, “They got along well.” 

Ruby studied the photo in silence for a few more moments, and I sweated bullets waiting for her next question.

Tai leaned into the kitchen and broke the silence, “Hey Qrow, can you bring in more firewood?”

“Sure thing.” I pulled the photo back into my shirt, “We’ll talk more later, kiddo.”

As I got the wood from around the shed, I glanced back in the house, Tai had sat down with her and they were laughing. I was once again looking in from the outside at my own house, my own family.

 

I’m her father, I reminded myself, but Tai was her dad, at least the main one of them in our weird little family.

 

I was not at all surprised to see Ruby’s friends turn up a week later. Jaune, Nora and Ren, they waited outside as she snuck out. I watched them from a tree. Ruby left a note for Tai and they hurried on their way. I followed them to the cliffside forest in Vale. Ruby said goodbye to Summer’s memorial and they started their trek across Sanus. I waited until they were well below the cliffs and transformed at the headstone. I glanced behind me to make sure I was alone, then stared down at the rose emblem and inscription and took a deep breath.

“I guess I’m taking after our daughter here.” I kicked up a bit of snow with my feet, “I haven’t really come here to talk to you, not like this. Not since they put this here. But here I am and I don’t know what to say.”

I squatted in front of the plaque and brushed the snow off the engraved rose, “I should have told you I loved you, a million times more, I should have stayed. I shouldn’t have been so Goddamn afraid. I’m going to be better though.”

I stood up, “I’m going to do right by Ruby, by Yang and Tai too. I’m going to protect them, but I don’t think I’m ever going to stop missing you.”

“Sometimes I wonder what you must think of me, the person I am now, as much as I drink and sleep around.” 

“I do care about Winter, but. . . she’s not you.”

I leaned back, “Ugh, the world’s ending and I’m talking to a rock.”

Wind drifted off the trees towards me, “I know you hear me though, Ruby’s been talking to you like this for years and I don’t think she’s crazy, so I’ve got to believe it too.”

With another deep breath, I took out my flask and unscrewed the top. I poured some over the headstone watching the snow melt away from it, “I love you, Summer.”

I glanced back at the memorial one more time and I took out Ozpin’s cane, still intact, still vaguely warm. I looked down at the valley below me, Ruby and her friends on the trail east. With a jump off the cliff I transformed, and so began the long flight after them.

 

I love you, Summer.

I’m going to take care of our daughter.

I’m going to Mistral.


	34. Growing Pains and Promises

I landed in Anima hard. It had been a long while since I made the flight on wing, and I was not as young as I used to be, though I hated to admit it. It wasn't like I had many travel options either. I had followed Ruby and her friends from port to port. They were determined to get to Anima but with Beacon still under repair the CCT was still down and travel between kingdoms strained. The kids practically pooled all their money just to get an airship ride to the continent. 

I watched them board and took off after them. I couldn’t follow their exact path but I spied the ticket in Ruby’s hand and had a general idea where they were headed. They should have beaten me to land by a few hours. 

Once I had adjusted to the ground and being a man again, I reached into my shirt for my scroll and checked my contacts. Without the CCT it was useless in long-range communication, but Ruby and I should still be on the same continent now. As the screen buzzed to life I saw what I was waiting for, little Ruby Rose’s name. I smiled at her picture, without the CCT it was the closest I could get to reconnaissance. I was about to mask my location from all contacts when I noticed an unexpected name on my list.

Winter Schnee.

I sat there staring at the screen like an idiot until I realized I was still kneeling in a Grimm infested forest.

I got up and started towards the nearest village. I still didn't know whether I should call Winter, or if I should let Ruby know I was here.

Before I got into town, the ice queen decided for me.

“Qrow!”

“Heh, if I didn't know better, I'd say you sounded worried”.

“Qrow, what are you doing in Mistral?”

“I could ask the same of you, Winter.”

“I’m serious Qrow.”

“As am I, I'm here continuing Oz's work, and you?”

“Work for the General. What kind of work could you be doing with the man missing?”

“I'm figuring it out as I go along. What are you doing for Ironwood?”

“Classified.”

“Really? But not classified-classified.”

“I can't tell you.”

“Why not?”

“The general's orders.”

“Really? I thought we were on the same side.”

“I hope we are too, but with your. . . colorful background, the general doesn't know whether your loyalties lie with Mistral or Vale.”

“They lie with humanity.”

“I know. . . as do mine, but I am also loyal to Atlas.”

“This war we're coming to, it's not about political boundaries.”

“No it's not, but we still have them.”

“Aye.”

“Whatever you're doing, take care of yourself Qrow.”

“You as well, Winter.”

“If you need to find me-”

“Don't worry about it. I have to move Winter, I'm losing daylight.”

“Oh. . . yes, of course. Goodbye Qrow.”

My hand hovered where my flask was in my pocket, “Winter, I am going to be better.”

Winter had hung up before I got the words out but it was still good to say them. I turned off my scroll and tucked it away, and my flask stayed full.   
I wandered into the village, grabbed the local gossip at the nearest huntsmen watering hole and sat down at the bar.

“What’ll it be?” A horned faunus girl asked cleaning a glass.

“Whiskey on the rocks.” I slid some lien her way.

“Straight to the point. I like a forward man.” She said as she served me, “Anything else I can get you?”

“There was something else I was looking for, or rather someone else.” I said taking a swig.

“You know that brand is in short supply these days.” she smirked.

I slid more lien across the bar, “Four kids. Two girls, a ginger and one with black and red hair. Accompanied by two guys, a tall stoic type and a blond a little wet behind the ears.”

She nodded along, “They passed through here earlier. The short one was checking out the corkboard over there. She was pretty excited with what she saw.”

Oh great. 

“Thanks.” I crossed the room to the huntsmen postings. People from everywhere in town would post their job requests for huntsmen of various characters and intentions in a place like this. Ruby could have settled on any one of them knowing her.

I stretched as I perused the options. 

Safe passage - maybe.

Murder - doubtful. 

Hard labor - possible.

Burglary - no. 

Apothecary assistance - no. 

A marauding group of Beowolves and Nevermores lead by an alpha Beringal terrorizing the area. . . Well, she was my kid after all. 

I left the bar and took off in the direction of the posting. Flying in the general area over Anima where they might be tracking the Grimm. It was getting dark and the landscape turned to forest and hills. Around midnight, I thought maybe I had guessed wrong. There was still no sign of the kids or the marauding Grimm, so possibly they were just faster than I expected, though I doubted it. When suddenly the clear night was filled with feathers and I knew Nevermores were keeping me company in the sky. 

They hadn’t noticed me yet. They were focused flying in formation and fast. I did my best to follow, staying downwind and off their radar, as they went faster the landscape fell away before us opening up into a valley, in which lay a small village, and that village was burning. 

From the cliffs at the edge of the valley a streak of red burst into the air and I almost dropped out of the sky to see Ruby land on the back of a Nevermore.

She looked far too comfortable doing this and there were very few ways this could end well for her. I beat my wings faster but a crow can hardly catch a Nevermore. They made it over the village and she cut the damn thing’s wing off and plummeted to the earth. 

I dove for the village, my wings going as fast as they could. The sound of her sniper rifle and the clang of her scythe letting me know whether or not she landed well, she was still kicking. I collapsed on the top of a tall, only mildly battered building. My talons grasping clumsily at the roofing as I stared at the town square as Ruby took them out one by one. She was all I could focus on as I clung to the roof, my mind awash in questions.

Where were her friends? 

Why was she fighting so many? 

Why was she taking them on alone? 

When did she get so good at using her semblance? 

Tai and I were always trying to get Yang to tone it down with erupting into flames at the first sign of a fight, we usually had to coax bursts of speed and petals out of Ruby in training, but not now. Now she leapt and dashed easily as if she had choreographed the whole thing, one Grimm after another fell to hear scythe, and as she stood in a cloud of clearing dust in the town square, I had never been prouder.

Then the Beringal alpha reared its ugly head and I wanted to start flinging roof tiles at it. I kept my perch, my grip on the tiles loosening and tightening as I watched Ruby trade blows with the monster, but the beast was slowly getting the upper hand. First, it flung her across the courtyard like a sack of flour and moments later one of its short-lived Beowolf lackeys. 

Ruby and the beast squared off on the church rooftop nearby, Ruby gave as good as she got but the Beringal ultimately crushed the building roof beneath her and Ruby disappeared into the wreckage.  
It was everything I could do to stay still, practically pulling my feathers out as the Grimm beat its chest with pride. A moment later though a whirlwind of petals shot from the church tower and Ruby crashed through the tower window, raining destruction down on the monster. She exchanged a few more blows with the Beringal and finally drove her scythe into its chest and blew its head off with the rifle. 

I wanted to squawk for joy, to fly down and transform and tell her she was just like me when I was her age. 

Then her scroll rang.

She told her friends she would meet up with them soon, and she charged back into the fray at the rest of the Grimm terrorizing the village. 

I was left on my perch watching her run away. 

A moment later I was back to myself as a man, the red blur disappearing on the cobblestone streets. 

Ruby was growing up. She had drastically grown up, somehow without me noticing, and if I didn’t shape up - she would just keep passing me by. 

I leaned back on the ceramic roofing, the shattered moon beaming down on me. My head was clear, I hadn’t drunk anything since my little information stop at the bar. Now if I could just keep it that way without killing or seriously hurting everyone I loved. 

Ruby’s work wasn’t yet finished and it was a long walk to Mistral.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> . . . Sorry, dear readers if any of you are still around. I didn't mean for this chapter to take over a year in the making, life happened and also Volume 5 of RWBY happened - blowing holes in some of my theories, not all though, still holding out for a couple and frankly I'm just going to see where this goes. This fanfic cannot be entirely canon with some new information from the new Volume but oh well, I'm going to take this fanfic through the end of Volume 5 and see what my imagination wants to do with it, regardless of how it lines up with canon.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for your time! All feedback is appreciated :)


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